KATHMANDU, AUGUST 2

The establishment faction of the CPN-UML has formed nine departments and named their chiefs.

The establishment faction's Standing Committee meeting held here today named party Chair KP Sharma Oli as Chief of Training Department.

UML Spokesperson Pradeep Kumar Gyawali told mediapersons that the Organisation Department and Parliamentary Department will be headed by Bishnu Prasad Paudel and Subas Chandra Nembang, respectively.

Similarly, Economic Department, Publicity Department and Tourism Promotion Department will be headed by Bishnu Rimal, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and Bhanubhakta Dhakal respectively.

Similarly, Rajan Bhattarai will head Foreign Affairs Department and Agni Kharel will lead the Election Department. Devendra Dahal will head the Local levels Department.

Gyawali said that the party had left space for rival faction leaders who wanted to join the departments.

He said the party would hold open discussion on August 6 to discuss changes that could be made to the party statute that would be endorsed by the Central Committee on August 8. He said the draft proposal would be then sent to the district chapters seeking their inputs.

When asked to comment on the Supreme Court's decision validating the UML's decision to remove four party lawmakers of Karnali Assembly, Gyawali said the SC order proved that the constitutional bench's decision to waive lawmakers from party whip and justify Sher Bahadur Deuba's claim for prime ministership was wrong. There cannot be justification for waiving the party whip in one situation and validating party whips in another situation," Gyawali said.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 3 2021, of The Himalayan Times.