The Nepali blogosphere is agog on the impending talks between the Maoists and the seven party alliance.

United We Blog has a few stories: Maoists Quibble Over Returning Seized Property, Nepal Peace Process: All Eyes On Friday High Level Meeting, Spring Thunder In Nepal…Glorious But Inconclusive-II, Nepal Budget: A Few Numbers and Maoist Disagreement, Independent Army (Nepal Army Behaves Like Parallel Government), Nepali Village Story: Maoist Lock House, Parents Kicked Out, Son Leaves Army Job.

“Dari katera aayeko dekhda pharkelan jasto lagdaina” [Seeing them coming clean shaven, I feel that they will not return back to Jungle.] …. a boy named Aasish threw those remarks which I remember every time I see clean shaved Maoist leaders Prachanda, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and Krishna Bahadur Mahara.

INSN has posted two interviews with Dr. Baburam Bhattarai from other sources. Bhattarai is one of the top two Maoist leaders.

We wanted full democracy to be enjoyed by the vast majority of the people; basically the downtrodden poor people, women, Dalit, oppressed nationalities, Madhesis…….. Our ideology is not that dogmatic and rigid. Our ideology is a science, which has to develop according to the demands of the 21st century. As they say, Marxism is not a dogma but a guide to action………Our insurgency or our movement was totally independent and totally homegrown. We did not seek any support – physical or material – from anybody else……… the US makes statements – very unwarranted and disturbing statements – ……. Things have changed but Moriarty seems to be sticking to the old mindset of the Cold War era. ……. Arms will be laid down only after the election of CA. Before that nobody is going to lay down their arms – neither the Nepal Army nor the PLA…….. In every place including South Africa, Latin or Central America or Northern Ireland, none of the conflicting parties have laid down their arms before the final political settlement……… Nepalese economy is already in private hands. Ninety-five percent of economy is in private sector. So, there is no question of privatization, it is already privatized…….. I think within few weeks, we will be able to have interim constitution.

Democracy For Nepal (DFN) has proposals for federalism and an interim constitution. DFN talks of an Interim Monarchy, Interim Army, Interim Parliament and of April Revolution, April Convention.

Both DFN and Samudaya have extensive photos from the ANA Convention, dubbed the largest Nepali event outside of Nepal. Sarahana Shrestha of Samudaya talks of the Indian author Arundhati Roy.

Asking what was the right thing to do in a democracy, in which an armed dissent is crushed by military power and unarmed dissent simply ridiculed and brushed aside, Roy confessed her depleting faith in democracy itself…….. It takes one leader to take a country back by decades.

Madhesi: United We Stand has an article by Dr. Govind Shah on Social Inclusion of Madheshi Community in Nation Building. Reason And Revolution says it is good that the Chinese and the Maoists are finally talking. Random Jottings is concerned about the Nepalis stranded in Lebanon.

There is a news piece on BBC News Online titled “Stranded and scared in the war zone”, which reports the plight of Nepalese stranded in Lebanon and the lack of support for them from the Nepalese consulate there, and the fear of one Nepalese worker, Gopal Ghimire, of dying in a foreign land.

Blogdai is ever so pessimistic of the chances of the peace talks.

The Maoists will break off peacetalks sometime between now and Dashain. Madhav Kumar Nepal will align himself directly with Maoist philosophy. Old man Girija Koirala will die within a year. Sujata Koirala will assume the prime ministership. The current Koirala parliament will never hold an election for anything. Paras, not the King, will go into exile. The RNA will allow Maoists to seize government before they act. James Moriarty will resign as U.S. ambassador within 9 months. India will not act against any Maoist coup attempts, attrocities or actions in Nepal. China will ally with the guns and tacitly support the Maoists. ……. Some fun, eh? blogdai has been batting a little better than average in the prediction department, so look out Nepal, chaos is on the way.