KATHMANDU, JULY 8

Ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) co-chairs Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal held talks for almost two hours today, but failed to settle their differences. However, going by what NCP Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha said later today, it is likely that the two would reach an agreement by Friday.

Dahal, who along with senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal leads the rival faction of the party, has asked Oli to quit one of the two posts that he holds - prime minister or party chair. Most of the Standing Committee members have also asked Oli to relinquish at least one of the two top posts.

Some members, including senior leader and former prime minister Jhalanath Khanal have asked the PM to step own from both the posts.

Shrestha said both sides continued to stick to their stances today as well. “Dahal wants the PM to quit one post, but the PM wants keep both,” Shrestha said. He added that the Standing Committee meeting that was to be held today was postponed till Friday in the hope that Oli and Dahal would reconcile their differences. He said the next Standing Committee meeting would not be deferred, hinting that the two chairmen of the party would reach an agreement by then.

Deputy parliamentary party leader of the NCP Subas Chandra Nembang, who is close to Oli, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Ishwar Pokharel and Province 5 Chief Minister Shankar Pokharel have been talking on behalf of the PM to the rival faction’s leaders in an attempt to reconcile differences between the two factions.

PM’s Press Adviser Surya Thapa said both Oli and Dahal didn’t budge from their stances today.

READ ALSO:

• NCP Standing Committee meet stalled yet again

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 9, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.