What about CPN-UML, the mother party of YAN that is presently leading the government? Why is it staying mum when Mahesh is going around shouting from the rooftops saying that Parshuram, who has been summoned by the court, was always with him and continues to be with him? With what moral authority can it ask the Maoists to dismantle the paramilitary structure of YCL, the youth wing of the Maoist party, when its own youth body is infested with goons and criminals? Why is the party not taking action against the Basnet duo, who have openly posed themselves as anti-social elements bent on destroying the peace and quiet of our society? The people need answers.
Coming back to the state, would it have stayed quiet if anyone not affiliated to a certain party had gone around ranting such hate speeches (he even dared police officials saying “do not flaunt your power to us. We know where the police chiefs stay, how many wives and children they have, where their families live”)? Surely not. This is the clearest example of how politicized our society has become and why common people’s faith that the state will protect and look after them is fast eroding.
Mahesh’s warning to Nagarik editor-in-chief also brings to light a pertinent question about the security of journalists. If a goon can dare a high-profile journalist and no action is taken against him, imagine the issue of safety associated with other journalists, especially those based outside the safe confines of the capital city. The two Basnets represent everything wrong that is in our system. They must be punished according to the law of the land if the government is to restore some semblance of hope among the people that we still live in a fully functioning democracy.
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