KATHMANDU: It's a direct fight between Gyanendra and Prachanda. A fight between the monarch and the Maoist supremo, which might be to the finish, many citizens here believe. Till Tuesday, the rough and tumble of multi-party politics acted as a buffer between the palace and the rebels. "The situation should now be resolved one way or the other. We've had enough," says taxi driver Puran Thapa as he negotiates the narrow streets of Nepal's capital. The common people, by and large, actually feel a little relieved that someone has stepped in to break the logjam. They were acutely disillusioned with the political system. "Once protests and corruption had become endemic and disrupted our daily life. Politicians were just busy lining their pockets or fighting against each other. Nobody did anything for development. Now at least we can work peacefully," said a shopkeeper. There is a feeling the king might bring about a change on three crucial issues: Maoist insurgency, inept governance and rampant corruption. In the last three-four years, economic growth had come down to half of what it was in the 1990s. But on the flip side, there is also the perception that the king might tactically be going wrong with suspension of fundamental rights and a complete snapping of Nepal's telecommunication links, among other things. "The king has embarked on a risky path and if he fails, the country might plunge into a grave crisis. The political parties will come together to raise a banner of protest sooner or later. How long can political leaders be put under house arrest?" asks a diplomat