Kathmandu, October 15

As criticism of the party leadership grows within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) with senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal openly criticising the government and the party, chairpersons of the party KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal plan to do some brainstorming during Dashain vacation on how to defend their actions in the party’s next secretariat and standing committee meetings.

The secretariat meeting has been scheduled for October 21 and 22 and the standing committee meeting for October 29 and 30.

Sources close to Oli and Dahal told THT that both leaders, keeping in mind the criticism expressed within and outside the party, had decided not to go out of the valley during Dashain so as to seriously discuss their plans.

PM Oli and Dahal have directed their private secretariats not to fix any appointment for them during Dashain vacation without their prior permission. Dahal and Oli met yesterday and discussed some issues of the secretariat and standing committee meetings.

Party sources also said that disenchantment had grown within the NCP over Bamdev Gautam’s ‘obsession’ of becoming a member of the House of Representatives and other leaders’ counter moves to foil his plan.

According to a source, Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal wanted to bring Gautam in the House of Representative to strike a balance in the party, but the Oli faction, which interpreted it as a design to dilute their power in the party, mounted a campaign to foil the plan. Sources said if Bamdev Gautam’s political interests remained unfulfilled, he could disrupt the power balance within the NCP and this could adversely impact the functioning of the government and the party.

Bamdev Gautam who first eyed the constituencies of Dolpa, Banke, Rukum and recently a Kathmandu constituency, could not get any of the constituencies vacated due to opposition of some party leaders. He is angry that ‘some leaders’ spoilt his plan.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ishwar Pokhrel was in the forefront opposing Gautam’s plan.

Oli and Dahal are likely to discuss all these issues during Dashain vacation, sources said. Apart from these issues, the two chairpersons will also focus on the party’s organisational structure, particularly the formation of the provincial and local committees and ways to better government performance.

Members of the private secretariats of Dahal and Oli said that both leaders were seriously discussing issues related to good governance and control of corruption, party discipline and coordination and cooperation between various structures of the party. The two chairpersons will also discuss how best to connect the party with the public.

“Dahal has been reminding PM Oli that the government should implement the election manifesto,” said a source. Recently, Dahal had said at a public programme that the government would soon make fresh announcement on senior citizens’ allowance. The ruling party faces criticism from within the party for not being able to merge all the committees’ particularly provincial and local levels.

Sources said Oli and Dahal may separately meet Madhav Kumar Nepal in an attempt to pacify him. He is miffed at both leaders because he thinks they sidelined him during the process of nominating the office bearers of provincial committees. It was because of this displeasure that Nepal flayed his own party’s government on the last day of the budget session of the Parliament.

NCP Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha told THT “We have several issues to settle through the secretariat and standing committee meetings.

We are discussing these issues within the party.”