Maoists who are engaged in dialogue with the government in search of a negotiated settlement of the insurgency that has already taken a toll of around 13,000 lives have said they would not go back to the jungle even if the talk fails. They know, more than anyone else, that they cannot resume activities in India as they had when the anti-Royal political movement was gathering steam, with full Indian support. Encouraging Maoists to be part of the competitive parliamentary party system was part of that plan. But India is also insisting that the Maoists should not be included in the interim Government till they have laid down arms.

This, Prachanda feels, is a betrayal by India. And on this pre-condition, Maoists also see India moving closer, in alliance with the US, to retain the Monarchy¿something the rebels want to uproot once and for all. Even Prime Minister Koirala was accused by the Maoists of having followed a “diktat” from these two countries when said he wants the ‘ceremonial monarchy’ to retain some space.

Clearly, for the Maoists, those who do not concur are either supporters of the US or India at the moment. But it would be interesting see if Prachanda sticks to his opinion on Kashmir and north-east once the decks are cleared for his party’s entry into the interim Government. A retreat from that¿either out of pragmatic realization or under pressure¿would be at the cost of his image of a ‘revolutionary’.