Newuser wrote: "Ashu is just a pawn in the sacrificing gambit step taken by Himali Dikshits which will unfortunately prove to be a suicidal move for themselves in the time to come." AND "When Himal media decides to make a turn, people like Ashu don't have many options to choose from then reciprocating their ideaology with the Dikshits. " ******* Oh my God! I did NOT know that I "am just a pawn" in someone else's "suicidal" game. Nor did I know that I "don't have many options to choose from". To paraphrase Woody Allen: And all these years, I thought the Dixits worked for the phone company! But, ugh, the betrayal! The treachery!! The abomination of hidden intents!! Who knew that they are so khattam? :-) Jokes aside though, Newuser, what ELSE is going on in my life that I should know about from you so that I can: a) increase my options, and (b) not be a pawn? *** NOTE to others: Newuser's comments is the kind of laughable bullshit you get when you dare to question or differ from strident republicanism, which IS as dogmatic and shrill in some quarters of Sajha as Maoism is Nepal's hinterland. Because these people don't have to RISK anything to push for republicanism, they can afford to be doctrinally pure on paper -- a fact they delight in. And so assured are these people of the sheer superiority of their position that they can't help repeatedly falling in love with their own theories. Ambiguity be damned!! This is why, one imagines them as viewing the 63 per cent of Sajha online voters who (gasp! choke!!) actually approve of the King's move as those who are plainly stupid, misguided and pampered bunch. Such is their abiding faith in "the collective judgement of fellow-citizens" -- a process otherwise known as -- oops! -- democracy (which makes it easier for people who may hate one another to live together without erupting into bloody wars!) Hence, we have Nepe who dutifully trots out his 40,000-word manifesto whenever he can. For evidence, he turns, with amusing qualifiers, to Dristi-patrika -- Nepal's most impartial weekly newspaper, no doubt!! -- tables as an indication of how republicanism is sweeping across the hills and the valleys. All this adds up to an entertainment of the highest order -- at least for me. I love the way these guys play the game of the future and NOT -- emphatically -- not of the present, which is a lot more important. To play upon Keynes' words: In the long run, Nepal might indeed turn into a republic, but by then we will also all be dead! Better present than dead. That is why, it's better to focus on the PRESENT immediate challenge of defanging the Maoists. After having spent tons of money, lost so many people and even having our liberties suspended to counter the Maoists, we might as well reach some sort of a conclusion on this point than on foolishly pining for a King-free Nepal anytime in near future . . . especially when it's clear that the loudmouths for republicanism are not going to risk anything themselves. Humans, after all, are designed to fight only one battle at a time, NOT multiple battles on multiple fronts like the hero of a Hindi movie. oohi ashu