Nepal's major political parties disagreed Monday on who should replace the prime minister who resigned a day earlier, pushing the country back into the yearslong political crisis that has left it without a constitution or a stable government. It took 17 votes in parliament over seven months to get Jhalnath Khanal elected prime minister in February because of the fierce infighting among the parties. Khanal resigned Sunday after failing to make progress toward adopting a constitution or bringing reconciliation to this politically tumultuous South Asia nation. The three major parties said Monday that they planned to hold talks on naming a new prime minister, but each insisted it should be the one to lead any new coalition government. The political uncertainty has made it impossible for the poor nation to write a constitution that would complete its transformation from a kingdom to a republic and to cement the peace process that ended the decade-long civil war with the Maoists, who have since joined politics. Khanal, who was chosen to help break the deadlock, faced demands that he step down from the opposition Nepali Congress party, which accused him of failing to live up to his promises to move forward the peace process in the Himalayan nation. The opposition had blocked parliament since late last month demanding Khanal's resignation.
            
"The major tasks of accomplishing the peace process and writing the new constitution have not progressed as desired," Khanal's office said in a statement. "Therefore, the prime minister stepped down with an objective to pave the way for forming a national consensus government and expedite the statute drafting and peace process." Though Maoist guerrillas gave up their armed revolt in 2006 to join mainstream politics, thousands of former fighters still live in camps and their future is yet to be determined. Khanal had promised he would resolve the issue but failed to do.

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 MF Hussain:The journey of a painter
He was ninety-six years in age and still painting with two major projects in Qatar and London. His was a life of contradictions, compromise and courage. Fakir, nomad, lover, poet, dreamer, artist, filmmaker, stuntman, adventurer – he lived them all. Each time we met, Husain was in a different incarnation. He was unpredictable. In 1969, he arrived at our house in Nizamuddin to sell us his painted car. Surprised, we replied we were not ready with the cash. Without hesitation, he replied, “Pay me next time.” He opened up the back of the old car, took out a bicycle and rode away. He possessed the ability to reinvent himself whenever the situation demanded. In an interview with CNN in Dubai, he had remarked, “To complete what I have to do, I would need four lives.” In fact, he lived through many more than four lives!
       Husain once observed that his paintings were “metaphors” – and he always remained a painter of “Signs.” His obsession with Mother Teresa shows her invariably as the mother of compassion with the gesture of her hand, floating mysteriously into view against the pitch black of night, the blue border of her sari like a halo, the child on her lap. Hanuman is defined with his mace as he leaps across burning Lanka. Draupadi lies stretched across the chaupad, the game of dice where she was bartered. I was a guest lodged in the attic. One morning, with the first flush of dawn, I watched awestricken as he knelt down to pray and then went down to work before we all gathered for tea. Life was a race, and no one understood this better than him. Age had not diminished his energy. He would walk down Mayfair, a tall lean figure in a black sherwani walking ahead of us, to stride barefoot into the red carpets of the Dorchester Hotel.In exile, his new passion was cars: a red Ferrari in Dubai, a black Rolls Royce in London. As we drove in his sleek black Phantom, cruising around the Hyde Park, he would comment that though he lived abroad, his paintings would always be on “the Indian landscape.”

Ruling parties suggest PM not to resign

Top guns of the ruling five political parties on Saturday
advised Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal not to resign
at the status quo to save the national politics from
uncertainty. A meeting of the top brass of the ruling
parties took such decision at the official residence of
the prime minister in Baluwatar, Kathmandu today.
However, the CPN-UML and the UCPN (Maoist)
agreed to make public the progress made so far in the
peace process, she added.Meanwhile, PM Khanal
and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal are
holding talks on the issues pertaining to peace process.

Top guns meet ends inconclusively

A meeting of major three political parties summoned by Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal to forge consensus on issues concerning the peace process, ended inconclusively on Saturday. During the meeting, the prime minister clarified that he can not resign at the recent time, citing less chance of forming national consensus governemnt within August 31, sources confirmed. Saying that the caretaker governmnet cannot present constitution amendment proposal for extending the Constituent Assembly (CA) tenure following his resignation, the prime minister ignored to tender resignation from the post, one of the particiapants at the meeting said. During the meeting, Nepali Congress demanded to include Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) in the meeting. Maoist Chairman Dahal, Vice Chairmen Mohan Baidya, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa, NC senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, Ram Chandra Poudel, Ram Sharan Mahat, Krishna Sitoula, among others, were present at the meeting.