UML dissident leaders warned of action

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: The central disciplinary commission of the CPN-UML today sought explanation from the dissident leaders, including Vice-chairman Ashok Rai, for conducting ‘parallel political activities’, saying the move contradicted party’s official policy.

The commission, headed by Amrit Kumar Bohara, has told the dissident leaders to furnish their replies within a week. Vice-chairman Rai and other leaders of ethnic origins have formed a separate ‘ideological group’ to champion the cause of single identity-based federal units and they have been boycotting all the meetings organised by the party leadership. They had also snubbed the recently concluded national-level cadres’ meet and central committee meeting.

The recently concluded central committee meeting had also decided to take disciplinary action against those leaders who defy party’s policy and continue to hold parallel political activism. “The commission’s attention has been drawn to the activities in the names of ideological group that go against the party line and policy,” a statement issued at the end of the commission’s meeting said.

Though the statement did not specifically mention who it was aimed at, Rai and other central-level leaders, including Prithvi Subba Gugung, Ramchandra Jha, Kiran Gurung and Bijaya Subba, are likely to face disciplinary action if they failed to furnish satisfactory replies within the week.

The commission said that these leaders were engaged in anti-party activities despite the fact that the central committee had asked them to air their differing views within the party committees they are associated with.