Kathmandu, July 11 -- Former president Bidhya Devi Bhandari last week officially made her comeback to national politics at an event commemorating her late husband UML leader Madan Bhandari's 70th birth anniversary.

Bhandari's announcement was not a surprise, nor was the furious flutter it created both within and outside the UML. A former president returning to party politics sets a dangerous precedent, many said.

"Now that I have been released of my previous political responsibilities, I have renewed my party membership with the righteous intention of remaining in the CPN-UML and continuing the party's political journey," Bhandari said, not very convincingly.

Nepal's Constitution does not prohibit a former head of state from returning...