TIME: Can the parties and the King unite to address Nepal's problems together?
Deuba: All the King talks about and all he promises is how he has no desire to have power for himself and he means to hand over power if the parties are united. He has said this three times, but nothing has happened. He is completely insincere. He talks nicely, but all the time he criticizes the parties, and says he does not like us. He's an ambitious man. He just wants power. It's obvious. He doesn't hand over power to the parties.
TIME: You have other complaints too, no?
Deuba: When he took over in October 2002, he violated the constitution and the principles of parliamentary democracy. He had no right. And he has not achieved anything since, not a single thing. His rule was a real flop. In the 14 months I was in power, I held talks with the Maoists and set up various programs. He blames us for not being united, but we also blame him. We have no alternative but to try to put pressure on him. If we beg him, he's not going to budge.
After parliamentary democracy began in 1990, a few things we did were bad, but most things were good: roads, freedom of then press, television, development, schools, telephones and post offices, airlines and hydro-electric power. We needed to do more to address poverty, the problems of the ethnic communities and unemployment, and we should have had less changes of government [12 in 12 years], but it was better than what came before. And besides, people's expectations were so high, it was difficult to meet their aspirations.
TIME: The King says he was forced to act as he did, that you dissolved parliament but failed to hold elections and a vacuum was developing in the country.
Deuba: That was a mistake by me. I should have gone to the polls within six months, but sometimes things get out of control.
TIME: The other thing the King says is that the parties always squabble over who's going to be top dog. One observer said it was like fighting over the master bedroom while the house burns down around you.
Deuba: I could never work with [former Prime Minister Girija Prasad] Koirala, it is true. I could work with other people from his party, but not him. On the other hand, what right does the King have to occupy all the bedrooms while the house is burning?
TIME: How badly effected is Nepal's stability?
Deuba: Nepal is deteriorating by the day. And it's a very poor country already; very beautiful, but very rough and difficult. We depend on the donor community.
The real problem lies with the Maoists. It's political terrorism, and to fight it, we have to meet them in a political way too. Unity between the King and the political parties is not essential for this, however. But I also don't think he understand the gravity of the situation. There is still time to save Nepal. It's a crisis, but a crisis that can be overcome. But at the moment, with parliament suspended and the elected government sacked, the parties have no role to play.
TIME: What do you make of the documented atrocities by the army?
Deuba: It's basically a ceremonial army. They are willing, but they have to be trained to care for the hearts and minds of the people. At the moment, they behave rudely with people, they do not know how to behave. They should be accountable to the people.
TIME: Who do you want as the next Prime Minister?
Deuba: My party's main demand is that the former government be reinstated. If the King is not willing, then my party will support Madhav Nepal for Prime Minister. Madhav Nepal also takes the same line.