Consensus on unified party’s chair ruled out

Kathmandu, April 19

CPN-UML Deputy General Secretary Bishnu Poudel, who is one of the architects of the left alliance, said the unified party’s  general convention would be the supreme body of the party and no one had the authority to snatch its powers.

He said this when asked if the CPN-UML was ready to choose CPN-MC chair on the basis of consensus in the GC. A source at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat had told THT yesterday that Oli had assured Dahal that he would be chosen the unified party’s chairperson on the basis of consensus.

“The issue was not raised in any of the bilateral meetings,” Poudel told THT. Senior CPN-MC leader Ram Bahadur Thapa-led task force has proposed to hold the general convention of the unified party within two years of unification.

He, however, hastened to add that though unification would not be announced on April 22, it would happen sooner or later.

Oli and Dahal met today and dealt with the vexing issues of unification. They held one-on-one meeting for three hours in the prime minister’s official residence in Baluwatar.

CPN-MC leader Agni Sapkota said talks between Oli and Dahal ended on a positive note today.

According to sources, Oli tried to dispel  Dahal’s doubts and Dahal reminded Oli that unification should happen to achieve the goals of political stability and prosperity as desired  by both parties’ leaders, cadres and voters.

The UML and the CPN-MC are yet to agree on ratio of representation of both parties in the unified party’s structures, the election symbol and whether or not the phrase ‘people’s war’ will be mentioned in the party’s statute.

The two task forces of the left alliance led by senior UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and senior CPN-MC leader and Minister of Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa have submitted their reports without sorting out disputed issues. The Party Unification Coordination Committee has given Oli and Dahal the responsibility of resolving the issues. Dahal has demanded that the unified party should have equal representation of both parties.

CPN-MC has also demanded that the election symbol of ‘hammer and sickle within the sun’ be adopted for the unified party but the UML wants to retain sun as the election symbol of the unified party.

UML leaders have also expressed their disagreement on other demands raised by the CPN-MC.

The left alliance has already agreed to have two chairpersons of the unified party until the general convention, without defining their roles. Dahal wants executive powers in the unified party while Oli is the prime minister.