KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 2

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who is also a co-chair of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), did not attend the party Secretariat meeting today, forcing the Secretariat to postpone its meeting till December 5. The Standing Committee meeting slated for tomorrow has also been deferred till December 6.

NCP Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha told mediapersons at Baluwatar that the meeting was deferred as leaders thought Oli’s presence was necessary for resolving the crisis facing the party. He said leaders also decided to request Oli to attend the next Secretariat meeting.

Asked what the NCP Secretariat would do if Oli chose not to attend the meeting again, Shrestha said he hoped the PM would attend the meeting, as the crisis in the party could only be resolved through discussion.

NCP intra-party feud had deepened after Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal presented a 19- page proposal accusing Oli of defying party norms and values, disobeying party committees’ decisions, and making appointments to constitutional bodies without consulting top leaders.

In his 38-page rebuttal, Oli accused Dahal of showing lust for power, adopting double standards vis-à-vis Millennium Challenge Corporation agreement signed with the United States, and promoting factionalism in the party.

The NCP faction led by Dahal has threatened to take documents submitted by Dahal and Oli to the party’s Standing Committee and Central Committee.

Oli is in minority in both the committees, as well as in the Secretariat. He is for resolving disputes through consensus, but Dahal has said that if consensus cannot be forged on vexing problems, the majority’s decision should prevail. Oli is against settling issues through majority.