We were told that monarchy was the cause of all problems in Nepal and now that it has been done away with - thanks in part to the magnanimous act of the king - what has really changed for a common man other than the miseries that he has to face on a daily basis only seems to have increased, not come down. The shortage of fuels has hit the country hard, further aggravated by petroleum dealers' indefinite strike bringing to complete halt the movement of public vehicles for the past several days and causing billions of rupees worth of loss to the national economy. As if this wasn't enough the people are having to put up with bandas and chakka jams almost every day as though there is a fierce competition among various groups to outdo one another without any concern for the hardship and inconvenience they cause to the populace. And then to cap it all, the people are having to grapple with sky rocketing prices of basic goods that defy gravity forcing many nepalis to go to bed with an empty stomach. The government is so hopelessly incompetant that it cannot even carry out its basic duty like dispose off the garbage that have cluttered streets and alleys of the capital giving off nauseating stench that can choke you to death if you don't run for cover. Let's not kid ourselves, the monarchy was never the problem. The genesis of Nepal's ills and problems lie in Girija Prasad Koirala, the most unprincipled and morally depraved person ever to have walked on the planet. He has been a curse to Nepal. Had he not existed, this country would not be in a situation half as bad as it is today and the history of the country would have taken a different course. Is it any wonder then despite all the maoists atrocities and murderous ways of the past and present, people still prefer and trust maoists than the congress. Why are we being made to suffer for Girija's stupid actions over which we have no control, the latest being his decision to abolish monarchy which is clearly going to be very detrimental to the country? It does not take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Girija is so harmful and destructive that I actually prefer Prachanda over him if I had to choose between the two.