Kathmandu: The constitutional monarch last Friday summoned the leaders of the agitating parties at the Royal Palace for consultations. The objective of the meeting was to defuse the crisis that has at the moment gripped the nation and to arrive at a solution that would safely take out the country from the said crisis. The leaders’ wasted no time in running towards the Palace thinking that the days ahead were theirs and that the nation will have to go their way. The leaders thus concluded that the King has yielded to their demands.

In effect the King yielded but with a marked “difference”.

The difference was there to the utter dismay and discomfiture of the big-5 who could see entering those leaders whom they considered “untouchables” in the present prevailing political context.

Just imagine what would have happened to the mental psyche of president Koirala who could see Sher Bahadur Deuba sitting adjacent to him in the room where they were all greeted by the monarch. Just consider what sort of mental torture it would have created in the minds of the big-5 when they could see Deuba, Prime Minister Chand, and Deputy Prime Minister Badri Mandal sitting comfortably in the same room which they had thought to be occupied only by them!

Indeed it was a mental torture for the members of the big-5 who had gone there to convince the King that should they be allowed to run the country would mean a sort of political relief to the monarch who had been in essence steering the nation since October last.

That was not all. The leaders of the big-5 had to listen to the lecture of Badri Mandal for all along half an hour. Mr. Mandal had all the bad words for the members of the big-5 and this he ventilated right in the presence of the monarch. Understandably, the faces of the leaders who had gone there to grab the Prime Ministerial post were forced to gulp the bitter pill. When enough was enough, the monarch himself apparently hinted Mr. Mandal to take a respite or else the whole session were to be consumed by Mr. Mandal.

Needless to say, Mr. Mandal presented himself as a potential candidate for the post of the prime minister.

Then it was the turn of RPP Chairman to present himself as a viable and competent candidate for the post freshly vacated by Mr. Chand.

Congress-D president, Deuba couldn’t control his temptations and he too quickly suggested the King that he would be the best choice for the country.

“Since my government was denied justice and unceremoniously dissolved last year, so I consider myself as the most deserving candidate for the post”, so said Deuba during the meeting with the monarch last Friday evening.

Prior to that, while entering the main hall where King Gyanendra were to greet them all, president Koirala became face to face with his political archrival, Deuba.

“How come you are here”, inquired Koirala.

“Don’t get surprised. Nothing to panic. I am here at the invitation of the monarch”, answered Deuba.

The fact is that the moment Koirala saw Deuba entering the hall, he apparently lost all of his energy And thus sources said that during the meeting with the King, it was president Koirala who talked less, comparatively speaking.

Next morning, some of the F.M Radio stations revealed that a sort of quarrel amongst the leaders had occurred during the meeting. The people entertained as usual. What else they could do other than to entertain themselves from such “breaking” hot news.

Later, the big-5 right being inside the hall concluded that the meeting had been arranged to defuse the tempo of their agitation and that the King wished to buy time. But yet the members of the big-5 collectively proposed the name of Madhav Nepal.

The King upon listening to the differing views of the leaders attending the meeting allowed 72 hours to find a personality of consensus who could be trusted with the post of the prime minister.

The said 72 hours have lapsed. At time of writing this story, Madhav Nepal is the man of consensus of the big-5 but then he yet lacks the support of the rest of the political parties not represented in the ongoing agitation.

Surya Bahadur Thapa is also in the race.

The meeting at the Palace ended with one unhappy note. The big-4 deliberately left the fifth one in the cold. The NSP-Anandi Devi group was neither invited by the palace nor the big-4 demanded that their fifth partner too be invited. This has already created a sort of suspicion in the minds of the “fifth force” who now openly say that the whole affair does speak of the hidden intentions of the big-4 towards their party.

Analysts say that the meeting inside the palace though gives an impression that the King yielded to the demands of the big-5, but the fact is that the meeting has by default already sown the seeds of distrust and suspicion in and amongst the parties sponsoring agitation against the monarch’s October move. The fact is that each and every one needs the coveted post which explains the meaning of the “agitation”.

( Compiled from various sources).