I did not talk much about the political parties. Because there is not much to talk about them. They don't have guns in their hands. And their equation with the King is more or less intact. The day Maoists questioned the authority of the King and the political parties failed to show they have authority to take decisions on that (that is from seven years ago until last Oct 4), they have lost their political relevance. Yes, they did not have political relevance all this time. Girija's and Sher Bahadur's attempts to solve the Maoists 'problem' was a joke. They merely were an elusive shield between the King and the Maoists. It is the election of the proposed Constituent Assembly where our democratic political parties will regain their relevance. As a matter of fact, the success of CA to take out the country from the current mess and bring to a democratic path depends much on how our political parties succeeds to free themselves from the legacy of their corrupt co-existence with the King and how they succeed to snatch the agenda of a full democracy and other socio-economic agendas from the Maoists. Yes, our political parties with their purified hearts and changed role is out best bet. We just can not depend on a middle path automatically generated by the balance of two opposite and extremist forces, the King and the Maoists, although that is a safety net for success of CA to be in favor of the people. There is nothing to be worry about CA per se. The only thing we should worry and therefore actively participate in public debate is about flaws, procedural or otherwise, that can creep in to sabotage it's very purpose, that is, not letting it to be a genuine expression of people's decision. What are the chances that the Maoists or the King can abuse it to eventually establish their freedom-less regimes ? Way too less than they will be able to do so by means other than CA. What are the best, the worst and the most likely scenario of the election of CA and the constitution it will draft ? In my view, the worst scenario is that we will have a better constitution than we have now. Now, before talking about the best scenario, I'd like to explain something first. It's about the likelihood of the King and the Maoists to accept democracy, yes yes, of course democratic republic of Nepal. First the King. Assuming he is not a mad man and has some senses to know the objective world, it is safe to assume that once he accepts the proposal of CA, he knows that it is a public commitment to accept whatever is the result. He may hope this and that. He may even have some covert plan, let's say, spending kharabau rupaiya he has now to help elect his supporter candidates. Whatever he'd be thinking, he'd know that he has a public commitment to accept the result. In case our honorable members of the Constituent Assembly decide to go for a republic, I don't think they will say 'now, take off that shripech, leave your money and leave the country'. Even the Maoists are not saying that. They are saying he will be given appropriate honor and he can keep his money. I personally don't mind even if he retains a title of the king (like bajhangi, Mustangi rajah) and keeps performing all cultural activities he is performing now- from exchanging the khadga with Devi to offering tika to thousands of people in Dashain. I am fine with giving him all the privileges except the political status. I do not know how much ambitious and greedy he and his family is, but to me, these proposals sound quite attractive, particularly when I inherit the throne by an accident (er.. accidental firing of a gun !). We will see when we come to that point. Now, the Maoists. I do not have to introduce them here. Everybody, without exception, in this forum seems to know how ruthless they are, how evil their intentions are, how ferocious their determination is. They certainly deserve our condemnation, repugnance and curse that we have been expressing tirelessly here. Now, let's go one level up and try to identify what could have let them to be so, what could have let them be so and still be so God damn successful, what motivates them, both individually and collectively, where can we stop them, or shall we ever be able to ? As I discussed earlier, a new illegal and political force (a Maoist-like, but pro-democracy and non-violent) was a historical need of the day when the Maoists emerged in today's form. Somebody had to come to expose the elusive power of the Monarchy and it's relation to crippling and degradation of parliamentary parties and a general national denial about the whole riddle. This need, this vacuum was filled by the Maoists. Had there been or emerged a democratic and non-violent force to do that job, the Maoists would not have emerged or even if they did, they would not be able to turn on so big mass they have now. Because what would they say to people, 'Hey people, let's go for a communist state' ? That does not sound very motivating.