KATHMANDU, JULY 28

CPN-UML lawmakers belonging to the Madhav Kumar Nepal-Jhalanath Khanal faction today advised Nepal not to accept UML Chair KP Sharma Oli's offer to co-chair the party, but help the Sher Bahadur Deuba government complete its full term in the House of Representatives.

Nepal-Khanal faction lawmaker Metmani Chaudhary told THT that Nepal sought views of party lawmakers, who recently voted in favour of Deuba during the trust vote, on Oli's offer. Chaudhary said almost all of the 19 lawmakers who were present in the meeting today told Nepal that Oli's offer was a trap and Nepal should not fall for it.

Of the 22 lawmakers who voted in favour of Deuba during the trust vote, 19 were present in today's meeting.

Three could not attend the meeting, as they were out of Kathmandu valley, said Chaudhary.

He said party lawmakers told Nepal that the 10-point unity proposal prepared by the taskforce set up to iron out differences between the two factions of the party was not in favour of the Nepal-Khanal faction, as it was prepared at Oli's behest.

Lawmakers close to Nepal and Khanal also told Nepal that it would be difficult to bridge ideological and other differences with Oli who had made many mistakes during his prime ministership.

'It was our faction that cajoled Deuba into accepting the offer of prime ministership.

He was not willing to accept the offer initially. It is now our responsibility to ensure that this government functions smoothly and the House of Representatives completes its full five-year term,' said Chaudary.

He said lawmakers also told Nepal that lawmakers from his faction should be ready to join the Deuba government even though the move might be challenged in court. The Nepal-Khanal faction does not have 40 per cent support in both the central committee and the parliamentary party without which it cannot split the party.

A version of this article appears in the print on July 29 2021, of The Himalayan Times.