Kathmandu: Pressure is on against the monarchy. Having provoked students’ to join the agitation, government must brace itself for a crowd-swell on the streets contributed by firstly, agitating schoolteachers and then by other professional organizations which are largely partisan. In an attempt at desperation, government belatedly announces the promise of cabinet expansion, which is, if at all it materializes, likely at best to perfunctory. The fact is that the cabinet of Surya Bahadur Thapa has been proven as bluff. The repercussions on the monarchy are severe.

Nonetheless than the monarchy recognized the need for parties’ represented in the dissolved parliament to endorse its actions of October 4, 2002, in order to ride the nation through the current constitutional jeopardy. The political parties which contributed to the mess in the very first place were expected to demonstrate the same crass-partisanship to prevent the initiative from going to the King and so attempted to dictate their own terms on the monarchy. This was expected what was expected also, however, was a definite public demonstration that things would not be allowed to return to the previous mess. While the cabinet of PM Lokendra Bahadur Chand resigned because it was slow in giving the public impression, PM Thapa’s cabinet has virtually returned the state to the previous position politically.

It is not surprising that Thapa has made some administrative gains. But the public are aware that this was his forte and whatever gains he has made is on account of his direct appointment by the king. Bu the promise of political participation that was made on his appointment has boomeranged and the monarchy is left holding the fort. This has been expensive.

Clearly, one must wonder whether this was done through design. The streets are heating up and the political parties are cashing in on the seemingly deliberately provoked situation. One can thus expect their taking advantage of the lack of motion at the government level which is likely to encourage opposition activities on he streets- something that the political parties had been attempting over past eleven months of declared agitation.

All things thus to a change and none less than the government is aware of this. Unfortunately, too transparent political schedules allow uncomfortable time lapses. It appears that the SAARC summit in Islamabad prolongs the Thapa Cabinet by which time the agitation may too be prolonged. And so one can’t but anticipate further provocation moves with similar questionable designs until then.