KIRAN PANDAY ENOUGH SAID: Deputy Prime Minister Bamdeb Gautam appears deep in thought during a speech by Prime Minister Dahal at the inauguration of the new tv channel ABC in the capital on Thursday.

Gautam knows that his first order of business is to restore law and order, but his promise to improve the security situation "within six months" may be easier said than done. Even as he took office last week, the East-West Highway was obstructed in various places due to local disputes, the YCL is not only not returning seized property it is grabbing more, Gautam's own Youth Force was having running street battles with home-made weapons with the YCL in Dhankuta and in Kathmandu's casinos.

Gautam wants to prove he means business, he wants to be known as Mr Tough. He threatened to sack senior police officers if they didn't perform like he famously did as home minister in 1998. He even said he would resign if the situation would not improve in six months time.

His biggest challenge will be the armed groups in the Tarai and the Limbuwan Federal Council in eastern hills who are running a parallel government with their own courts. Incidents of kidnapping, robbery and looting are on the rise.

He said he would overhaul both the local administration and police forces to restore law and order in the country. However, that will be difficult because the YCL and Youth Force have put themselves above the police, and often take the law into their own hands.

Gautam says no one is above the law and he will come down hard on the YCL and Youth Force if they break it, but for that he may need to first work out an agreement within his own party and with his prime minister.

The home minister at least seems to make a distinction between the Tarai militancy (which needs a political solution) and the criminal gangs (who need to be dealt with force). The day after he assumed office, police in the Tarai killed 'Mr John', said to be the mastermind of a series of bombs in Kathmandu that killed three people last year.

Gautam thinks the police force is apathetic and demoralised, which is true. But he doesn't seem to realise that the reason for that is unnecessary political interference. Will he do things any differently? Will there be an agreement between the Maoist prime minister and the UML home minister on how to run things? The fact that Gautam is closer to the Maoists than some of his UML colleagues would be a plus point for coordination.

This announcement is sufficient to make his presence felt in the the coalition government, but one has to wait for some time to see it implemented. The home ministry is important to make public feel the presence of the government. It will be the results Gautam can deliver that will determine the UML's future and that of the Maoist-led government.

Subash Devkota