KATHMANDU: Co-chairs of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, held a meeting at Baluwatar today.

The two co-chairs held a meeting in a bid to settle the dispute afflicting the party for quite a while, PM's Press Advisor Surya Thapa was quoted in Rastriya Samachar Samiti as saying.

Other leaders are awaiting the standing committee meet with the completion of the meeting between the party's two top leaders.

Although the standing committee meeting was scheduled to commence at 1:00 pm today, it has not begun yet, Thapa told THT Online.

It has been learnt that all other leaders including Co-chair Dahal entered the meeting hall while PM Oli did not arrive.

In the last meeting, PM Oli, who has been facing the heat from the rival faction of the ruling NCP, got a temporary reprieve as the party’s Standing Committee ended after passing a condolence message on the demise of NCP central member Kaman Singh Lama. Lama had succumbed to COVID-19.

The party body had not discussed on any other agenda after paying homage to Lama. Both the party co-chairs had attended the meeting held at the PM’s official residence in Baluwatar.

Previously, on December 6, the party’s standing committee meeting was held at the party’s central office in Dhumbarahi. Dahal’s 19-page proposal levelling serious allegations against Oli and the PM’s 38-page rebuttal were presented and discussed at the meeting.

The standing committee has yet to take a decision on the two documents. The nine-member Secretariat of NCP had failed to decide on the two documents, following which both the documents were sent to the standing committee.

The standing committee meeting is being held to forge a consensus.

A few months ago, when the intra-party feud deepened in the ruling party, the standing committee had formed a task force that suggested giving the PM a free hand on day-to-day affairs and the party’s full executive powers to Dahal.