Nepal, July 22 -- There is nothing new about Nepali political parties, particularly the communist forces, forming alliances and merging. Adding a new episode to this recurring trend, the KP Sharma Oli-led CPN-UML and Pushpa Kamal Dahal's Nepali Communist Party are in intense discussions about forming an alliance, with the larger goal of merging the two parties. If Dahal's statement in Janakpur is to be believed, a conducive environment for this merger has already been created. He has asked provincial leaders to collaborate with the UML to form governments. Leaders from both parties have realised the need to come together for the national interest.

However, it is clear that the renewed push for an alliance is largely the result of the deb...