KATHMANDU, APRIL 2

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was on the receiving end of the diatribe unleashed by leaders of the CPN-UML close to Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal.

Leaders of the Nepal-Khanal faction of the UML condemned Oli's punitive action against standing committee members Surendra Prasad Pandey and Ghanashyam Bhusal.

Oli had suspended Pandey and Bhusal from the party for six months for carrying out anti-party activities yesterday. He had also suspended Nepal and Rawal from the party for six months a few days ago.

The Nepal-Khanal faction held its standing committee meeting and accused Oli of taking action against party leaders with the motive of splitting the party. Rawal said the meeting termed the PM's punitive action against Pandey and Bhusal as arbitrary, autocratic, and against the party's statute adopted by UML's ninth General Convention.

Lawmaker Yogesh Bhattarai told mediapersons after the standing committee meeting that his faction would launch nationwide campaign to reorganise and strengthen the party.

'We are trying to revive party structures and committees that existed before the UML's merger with the CPN-MC. We are not trying to create parallel structures, but Oli is trying to do that,' he said.

Leaders of the Nepal-Khanal faction said the establishment faction of the UML led by Oli should rescind its March 12 decision amending the party's statute and adding 23 leaders who were associated with the CPN-Maoist Centre to the party's central committee.

They also demanded that the party should revive all party structures and committees that existed before the UML's merger with the CPN- MC. However, Oli has refused to give in to their demand, saying all the decisions were taken by valid party bodies.

Oli has warned leaders of the rival faction against indulging in factional activities.

Bhattarai said the standing committee discussed the concept paper tabled in their faction's national cadres meet held a few days ago. Bhattarai said the faction's standing committee meeting would finalise the concept paper tomorrow and provide the printed version of the concept paper to cadres and leaders across the country. A version of this article appears in the print on April 3, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.