Kathmandu: The Supremo of the CPN-Maoists, comrade Prachanda alias Pushpa Kamal Dahal has hit the media headlines.

His fresh statement must have come as a bolt from the blue to the UML and the Nepali Congress who apparently had thought that the Maoists camp one fine morning would come to their rescue in their bid to cut down the size of the King in the face of their announcement that they would launch a sort of political agitation against the monarchy simply to bring back the power back to the Singdurbar from the Palace.

This is perhaps Comrade Prachanda’s maiden statement well after his colleagues entered Kathmandu valley with a big-bang a month ago.

Comrade Prachanda’s expression puts a cap onto the parliamentary parties’ expectations that the Maoists would support their political cause that is to begin soon if every thing goes smoothly.

The Maoist supremo, however, has both carrot and sticks under his sleeve.

If he on the one hand rebukes the parliamentary parties for their what he calls “illusionary” demands, he then equally on the other warns the government that any hanky-panky in initiating the talks would be very costly for the establishment.

In effect, Prachanda has provided a severe blow to President Koirala’s one point agenda or say demand of the restoration of the now dissolved parliament by saying that the demand as such becomes totally “redundant” given the present “constitutionless” state in the country.

Prachanda then targets Madhav Nepal and his party the UML and says that the formation of an all-party government at the center will not make the arrangement “democratic” and “constitutional” as is being interpreted by the UML.

Elaborating it a bit more further, Comrade Prachanda goes on to say that the consideration of the UML and other parliamentary parties that the formation of an all-party government comprising of all the parliamentary parties will not make that structure a democratic and constitutional one and that to imagine that such a government formed would solve the issues confronting the nation would be a sheer “illusion”.

He then says that in the present day context the formation of a socalled all-party government or that of the restoration of either the parliament or of the Deuba government can in no way contribute to a movement against regression.

“Albeit, such practices or arrangements if brought into effect could well elevate some political parties to the corridors of power but would not be able to sort out the pressing issues of the nation.

In saying so, Prachanda apparently hints that Koirala and Madhav Nepal long to bounce back to power through their present day slogans. In other words, he indicates that these two leaders have been playing politics at the moment simply to grab power and nothing more than that.

What is very significant is the timing of the release of the Prachanda statement. It has appeared at a time when the political parties have declared that they will fight tooth and nail to bring back power from the Palace to Singhdurbar; that the government formed by the King was unconstitutional one and that they will not settle for less than the formation of an all-party government or the restoration of the now dissolved parliament.

The fact is that Prachanda has made it abundantly clear that he and his party sharply differ with the stance taken by the “parliamentary parties”. This also means that Prachanda and his camp would proceed with the talks with Chand establishment come what may.

Its corollary would be that the Maoists consider: the country is in a state wherein the 1990 constitution remained absent and that a new constitution be written that takes care of their demands as well; that the Maoists do not wholeheartedly adore the gains of the 1990 movement and maintain that the gains were “incomplete”; the Maoists consider the role of the parliamentary parties in the given circumstances as minimum and hence apparently ridicule their impending movement against the monarchy; and that the Maoists would negotiate with any one who satisfied their pressing demands.

Comrade Prachanda in the same vein also rebukes the government and warns by saying that the current state of cease fire must not be utilised by the other camp to strengthen its military capabilities or even to stretch the days in government.

“We urge the other camp not to dream such wild dreams but instead engage itself in devising concrete solutions to the nation’s pressing issues”, concludes comrade Prachanda.

Analysing all these, what comes to the fore is that Prachanda is all out against Koirala-Madhav combine impending agitation and that he would wish the talks to proceed faster that yielded positive results for their camp.

It remains to be seen how Madhav-Koirala combine react to Prachanda’s “significant” million dollar statement.