Kathmandu, April 15

Prime Minister and Chairman of CPN-UML KP Sharma Oli has taken strong exception to the joint criticism of him by senior leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal that he ‘promoted factional politics’ within the party and the government.

Oli claimed that there was no need for him to promote factionalism as he was not in the race for top positions either in the party or the government currently.

Senior CPN-UML leaders Jhalanath Khanal and Madhav Kumar Nepal had jointly criticised Oli for leading the party and the government arbitrarily.

Addressing the central committee meeting in Baluwatar yesterday, leader Nepal had said that he was defeated with very few votes in the latest national convention of the party.

Both Nepal and Khanal criticised Oli for not consulting them in the affairs of the party and the government and promoting factional politics. Besides, they had also criticised Prime Minister Oli-led government for failing to curb black-marketing, begin reconstruction works and implement the constitution.

Ram Kumarki Jhakri, central committee member close to Nepal faction, said leaders keep on dismissing allegations against them but they never mend their ways. Nepal and Khanal, however, lauded the government’s stand on issues of national sovereignty.

The week-long central committee meeting of the CPN-UML concluded today by endorsing a 19-point commitment, including a call for all parties to unite for the implementation of the new constitution. It also urged the United Democratic Madhesi Front to resolve issues through dialogue.

CPN-UML also urged the government to withdraw all the political cases against those arrested during the agitation in the Tarai.

The CC meeting, however, failed to give full shape to its 32 different departments and the central advisory committee.

Gokarna Bista, a member of the three-member task force formed to finalise names of leaders for the departments, said the task force would finalise the the list after consultations with chiefs of the departments.Bista said the central committee had mandated the standing committee to choose appropriate ways to lead the party by forming provincial committees and amending party statute for the same.