Son of the People

Then, the President's Personal Secretary, Mr. Lalit Basnet, called. He said, “The President would like to know the situation there at the moment and wants to know the correct information.”
I said, "The 'retirement letter' has arrived. The COAS is in his office. Kul Bahadur is in his own office with the 'appointment letter.
All other PSOS, Valley Divisional Commanders, National Security Council Coordinator, all other Major Generals and the Army's Legal Department head are in my office."

Lalit Basnet called back in a while. "What is the situation? Every- thing is under your control, right?" he inquired.
I replied, “Yes. We are all in my office and none of us have gone to meet Kul Bahadur.”
I informed everyone about the conversation I had with Lalit Basnet. While Kul Bahadur was opposing the COAS, he was also widely propagating the idea that I would not be able to command the Army, and that all the Generals, Colonels and soldiers were all in his favour and that only he was competent for the role. He had used the same narrative to gain confidence of the Maoist government. It was only natural for the President to be somewhat undecided on this issue because he had little contact or information about the Army. In a while, Lalit Basnet called again. He inquired, "If the President takes a certain step, will the Nepalese Army be able to support it?" I replied, "It will."