The non-ending fight against what is being called “regression” is on.

Seemingly, if the continuation of the agitation is a matter of prestige and compulsion for the parties now in agitation, it is equally a matter that apparently has to do with the personal ego of the constitutional monarch which he is not as alleged by the agitating leaders.

In the process, efforts from both the Palace and the agitating parties were made of late which finally materialized a joint meeting in between the agitators and the King last week. The meeting though did not yield positive results in favor of the agitating parties but then its negative impact on the agitation was very big. The fact is that the meeting visibly made the agitation to go slow. Whether the going slow of the agitation was a tactical move to please the King or the men joining the agitation smacked a foul play in their leaders’ meeting with the King remains still a mystery indeed.

Nevertheless, the Summit meeting of the leaders with the King at least allowed both the parties to ventilate their feelings as regards the country’s sliding political and economic situation and the ways to arrest those trends. However, both the sides still appear determined on their declared stands to the utter dismay of the laymen. The ice is yet to break.

Analysts say that had the agitating leaders remained united as they gave to understand prior to their meet with the King, the King would have changed his stance and would have under compulsion nominated the consensus candidate of the five party alliances to the post of the prime minister. However, the fact is that the FPA delegation met the King and talked with him on petty superficial matters. Nevertheless, they appear to mislead the people through the press that they told the King this and that which are just the concocted stories.

Neither they could push the name of their consensus candidate nor could give an impression to the King that they still were a united force. The King got the point and twisted the meeting by suggesting the agitators not to push him to the wall in order to restore the dead parliament. “Don’t force me to act unconstitutionally”, is what the King told the visiting agitators. The King made this observation when he was told to take a political decision and give a new lease of life to the dissolved parliament.

Among the five, it was Koirala who at least spoke in favor of the people. He said the King that “Narayan Gadh Mugling road was terribly bad and hence the road be repaired at the earliest”.

Albeit, most of the leaders attending the monarch did hinted the latter that if he so desired they could come even in private to explain their own reasoning.

This exclusive idea clicked.

Madhav Nepal, the UML strongman, next morning appealed the Palace authorities for an exclusive meeting with the King which was granted the next minute.

What transpired in between the King and Mr. Nepal is not known. However, what came in the print was that Mr. Nepal told the King that Koirala’s elevation to the post of the Prime Minister would be a wrong move for Koirala was having clandestine links with the Maoists and that if he was made the PM would mean inviting trouble for the monarchy itself. Needless to say, Madhav Nepal had gone to see the King with his much publicized nine point agenda and explained the King that if were made the Prime Minister he would sort out the current ailments to the satisfaction of all th political forces housed in the now dissolved parliament.

Understandably, Mr. Nepal also assured the King that if he were to be the prime minister, he could extract political benefits for Nepal from the communists now housed in Man Mohan Singh’s coalition.

Madhav Nepal is correct to some extent as his party does enjoy cordial relations with the Indian communists under Har Kishan Sigh Surjeet whose party is in the government in India.

Panicked by Mr. Nepal’s tête-à-tête with the King, Koirala preferred not to waste even a second and appealed the Palace for such a meeting with the King. The King granted audience to Koirala for well over fifty minutes.

Here again, what Koirala told the King is not known but then yet what has come to the notice of the press is that he told the King that he had been able to teach the communists the lessons of democracy over the months of his commandership of the agitation. Understandably, Koirala also hinted the King that those who chanted slogans in favor of republicanism were not his boys but belonged to the communists.

That the agitating leaders went to see the King in a feeble mood became amply clear when the palace officials had told them in advance that the King would see them jointly provided they dropped the discussion on the 18 point agenda. The dropping of the 18-point agenda made the agitators to look like army men without guns.

Summing it all, the agitation continues with no steam. The agitation is on with the agitators themselves not knowing when their agitation will come to an end and how will it come to an end.

The fact is that the King listened to them both jointly and in private which apparently have subsided the ego of the agitating five. The result: so far cipher.