KATHMANDU, JANUARY 7

Vice-chairman of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Bamdev Gautam, who has stayed neutral in the intra-party feud in the NCP, today said Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli should have tendered his resignation when he knew that he had fallen into minority in the party and the rival faction was going to move a no-confidence motion against him on December 20.

Addressing the National Assembly, Gautam, however, hoped that the party would stay united even after what transpired since the dissolution of the House of Representatives on December 20.

He said neither did the faction led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal inform him about the plan to register a no-trust motion against Oli, nor did the PM tell him about his decision to dissolve the House of Representatives.

Gautam, who had earlier called the dissolution of the HoR unconstitutional, today told the Upper House that calling the move unconstitutional would amount to contempt of court, as the case was sub judice in the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court.

He said he was a proponent of the people’s multi-party system propounded by late Madan Bhandari and he believed in the supremacy of the constitution, a key component of PMPD.

He said it was but natural to have contradictions and differences within a political party.

“A successful leader is the one who succeeds in settling differences within the party,”

Gautam said.

NCP lawmaker Khimlal Bhattarai defended Oli’s decision to dissolve the Lower House, saying the PM was unable to effectively carry out his duties, as leaders of his own party were creating obstacles for him forcing him to dissolve the Lower House.

He said some political forces were calling the PM’s move an undemocratic and autocratic move, but no autocratic ruler ever declared poll dates.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Ramesh Jung Raymajhi said the PM had no power to dissolve the HoR.

He said the NC had warned about the authoritarian mindset of the PM.

Another meeting of the NA has been scheduled for tomorrow.