Attempts to forge consensus between Oli, Dahal on

KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 4

Co-chair of the ruling Nepal Communist Party and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who inflamed the anger of another Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal by presenting his 38-page long rebuttal a few days ago, continues to send his confidants to Dahal to broker a truce between him and Dahal.

NCP Secretariat member Ishwar Pokharel, who is close to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, today met party – Co-chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal in an attempt to broker a truce between Oli and Dahal but details of discussion between Pokharel and Dahal particularly what Pokharel told Dahal were not provided by any side.

A source close to Dahal told THT that Dahal told Pokharel that since all the documents, including his 19-page proposal and Oli’s 38-page rebuttal, were sub-judice at the party Secretariat, a discussion must be held on those documents.

Rival faction of the NCP scheduled the Secretariat meeting tomorrow saying that formal discussion on the documents sub-judice at Secretariat would be discussed, something Oli faction has been trying to avoid.

Deputy Parliamentary Party Leader Subas Chandra Nembang, who is close to Oli said all the leaders close to Oli, including Pokharel had been telling Dahal that the current issues should be resolved on the basis of consensus between the two co-chairpersons. Asked if there were chances of postponement of the NCP Secretariat meeting again tomorrow, Nembang said he wanted the party leaders to take as much time as they needed to settle their differences.

Standing Committee member Lilamani Pokharel said that chances of Dahal withdrawing his 19-page proposal, as demanded by Oli faction, was nil.

Dahal faction has threatened to take the Secretariat documents to Standing Committee and Central Committee for discussion.

Dahal faction is in majority in all party bodies.

Dahal, who is the executive chair of the party, presented his proposal listing mistakes made by another party Chair Oli and without discussing his document and the rebuttal submitted by Oli the party cannot resolve current crisis, Pokharel argued.

“Withdrawing these documents will be a child’s play,” he added. He said President Bidya Devi Bhandari was active in brokering a truce between PM Oli and Dahal but she had no reason to do that. President Bhandari had held a meeting with Dahal yesterday after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli met her.

“The president was not a member of the party and as the president she must be impartial in intra-party feud in any political parties. Intra-party feud has deepened in the ruling party after Dahal and Oli presented documents in the party Secretariat blaming each other for the current crisis in the party.

In his 19-page long proposal submitted to the party Secretariat a few days ago, Dahal had accused Prime Minister Oli of defying party norms and values, disobeying party bodies’ decisions and making appointments in the constitutional bodies without consulting the top leaders. Oli had countered Dahal’s accusation in his 38-page long rebuttal accusing Dahal of showing lust for power, adopting double standard vis-à-vis millennium challenge corporation agreement signed with the United States of America and promoting factionalism in the party.

Differences are so serious between Oli and Dahal that they have not held one-on-one dialogue for almost a month.