"Despite knowing that we are holding the national cadres' meet, the PM organised a tea reception and parliamentary party meeting."
KATHMANDU, MARCH 18
The CPN-UML faction led by Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal today vowed to revive all party committees that existed before the party's merger with the CPN-Maoist Centre.
Leaders of the faction accused party Chair and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli of taking arbitrary decisions and promoting factionalism in the party. It rejected the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led faction's March 12 decision amending the party's statute and adding 23 leaders who were formerly associated with the CPN- MC to the party's central committee.
They said that the communist movement could be saved only if party committees that existed before the merger between the CPN-UML and CPN-MC were revived.
The gathering condemned Oli's activities against communist unity.
Yogesh Bhattarai of the Nepal-Khanal faction said at a press conference after the national cadres' meet concluded here today that scrapping of the Oli faction's March 12 decisions and revival of old party committees were necessary for unity.
Bishnu Rijal said the PM had not called the party's central committee or standing committee meeting to discuss unity with the CPN-MC as was suggested by the Supreme Court.
Leaders of the faction expressed disagreement with the SC verdict that nullified unity between the CPN-UML and CPN-MC, calling it an attack on the people's sovereign rights.
Bhattarai said the two-day cadres' meet concluded that Oli did not adhere to the pledge made in the ninth convention that the party would protect people's multi-party democracy and pursue socialist policies.
Leaders of the Nepal-Khanal faction said they were committed to upholding the party's policies and programmes.
Bhattarai said Oli was the main hurdle in party unity as he publicly said he would not talk to leaders of the rival faction.
"If Trump and North Korean leader can hold talks, why can't a party chair talk to his own party's leaders?" Bhattarai wondered.
The special proposal adopted by the Nepal-Khanal faction called for unity between all communist forces.
Leaders demanded that the Nepal government exercise control over Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani.
Raghuji Panta, another leader of the faction told mediapersons that the PM was trying to divide the party.
"Despite knowing that we are holding the national cadres' meet here, the prime minister organised a tea reception yesterday and today he held parliamentary party meeting that formed a Parliamentary Board," Panta said.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 19, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
