KATHMANDU, JULY 21
The establishment faction of the CPN-UML today issued explanation letters to 22 party lawmakers who had voted in favour of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba during the trust vote on Sunday.
The letter, however, has not sought an explanation on defying party whip issued on voting against Deuba. All 22 have been accused of indulging in anti-party activities.
The establishment carefully avoided mentioning the lawmakers' defiance of party whip during the trust vote as the Supreme Court recently ruled in the House of Representatives dissolution case that during the floor test for a prime minister of a government formed under Article 76 (5) of the constitution, lawmakers were not bound by their party's whip and were free to vote acting on their conscience.
The establishment faction has asked all 22 lawmakers to furnish their explanation within 24 hours for indulging in anti-party activities, factional activities, and forging an alliance with opposition parties. They have also been asked to explain why they should not be expelled from the party for indulging in such activities.
Birod Khatiwada, a leader of the Madhav Kumar Nepal-Jhalanath Khanal faction of the party, said the Oli faction had also sought reasons from rival faction leaders for their absence in the House of Representatives on May 10 when the PM had sought a vote of confidence.
The Central Committee meeting of the establishment faction today adopted a resolution saying that the Supreme Court's verdict in the HoR dissolution case undermined the checks and balances between state organs and the basic structure of a multi-party system, said UML Spokesperson Pradeep Kumar Gyawali. He said the party urged its rank and file to be confident about its comeback in the next election.
He said party Chair KP Sharma Oli told the meeting that the party would make attempts till the last hour to maintain party unity, but it would not tolerate activities that could harm the party's interests.
Meanwhile, the Nepal-Khanal faction held its standing committee meeting today and asked Oli to end street protests against Nepal and work for party unity. The establishment faction recently held protest rallies against Nepal for supporting Deuba.
Raghuji Panta, a UML leader close to Nepal and Khanal, said the rival faction concluded that the establishment faction's decision to seek clarification from 22 lawmakers was aimed at scuttling the unity process.
The Nepal-Khanal faction has asked Oli to quit one of the two posts - party chair or UML parliamentary party leader - for the sake of party unity.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 22 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
