Kathmandu: The political hotchpotch continues.

Both the contending forces, the King and the political parties currently in agitation, have indicated amply that they will not bow down until the other yielded to their declared stances.

If the political parties remain adamant on their demand that the King has to form a government from among them, the King too seems equally determined not to comply with the dictates of the parties in agitation.

By this time what has become abundantly clear is that both the King and the party leaders leading the agitation against regression possess a sort of disliking for each other.

The political parties who till the other day had been exhibiting their penchant for a tete-e-tete with the King even in private have suddenly under the pressure of the coalition partners in the coalition against regression changed their stance and now deem a meet with the monarch on a collective basis.

Contradicting signals emanate from the Palace in this regard, which neither says a straight no to the five parties demand for a joint meet nor has yet sent telephonic messages to the parties who appear all-dressed to rush to the Palace the moment such signal arrive.

In the process, the entire nation has become apparently the hostage of this ego-clash in between the Head of the State and the Political parties, which if true must be considered as an unfortunate incident that surely bodes ill for the nation.

That the King remains clear in his reiteration that he would not settle for less than having a new Prime Minister for the country who must be a clean one and who could also guarantee that he would initiate the elections by this year as promised by the monarch.

The search for such a clean prime minister continues. The King since all along the resignation of Prime Minister Thapa has been on the move to get one as sought by him. However, “Mr. Clean” is yet to emerge who could fit into the King’s scheme. Who could be Mr. Clean? Is a question that is being discussed here and there in Nepal’s political circles and even at the diplomatic receptions.

While the King’s search for Mr. Clean continues, the agitating political parties have more or less consoled themselves that it would not be them from the five party alliance who could be lifted as the nation’s next prime minister. This they conclude now by assessing the King’s firm determination that he would, come what may, bring in such a personality who so far has remained clean and enjoys a different image than those who so far ruled the country.

This gets reflected from King’s reiteration yesterday, Monday, at a Gokarna luncheon that if he were to induct a new prime minister from among the same corrupts and those who mis-governed the nation in the past the next moment. This he ventilated to a scribe in no uncertain terms.

This message is loud and clear, which clearly hints the King’s preference of a new man other than from among the five party alliances for the post of the prime minister. If it is so then what could be clearly concluded is that the King will perhaps not meet the five party alliance and even if he obliges to their demand for a joint meeting, the monarch will not commit himself to their proposals.

Its corollary would be that the rift that is already in between the King and the FPA would further widen facilitating further chaos in the country.

The King is not to yield under threat or pressures from the FPA. The FPA members too appear not to come to terms with the King on the latter’s terms and conditions.

The crisis is sure to take a dangerous turn if wisdom does not prevail on both the sides.

Independent observers dare to ask whether such adamancy on the part of the King and the political leaders were an appropriate move given the sagging morale of the nation and its population? Does it bode well for the nation? Some one has to sacrifice. After all politics is the game of power, which demands at times compromise and consensus to keep the nation, running.

But who will compromise? The King should or the parties?

Matured analysts say that both must come to terms at the earliest or else the country could soon be declared as failed state by the donor community which finds itself in a puzzling situation on how to take care of this country which is already on the verge of a total collapse should the clash persist for few more days.