KATHMANDU, July 11

Three top leaders of the CPN-UML, including senior leader Madhav Nepal, on Saturday did not attend the party’s standing committee meeting because Chairman KP Sharma Oli arrived late — almost by two hours.

UML Vice-chairperson Bidhya Bhandari also complained about delayed meeting.

Senior leader Nepal, Vice-Chairman Bhim Acharya, Deputy General Secretary Ghanashyam Bhusal and standing committee member Surendra Pande left the meeting hall of the UML parliamentary party in Singha Durbar after waiting for Oli for hours. Oli arrived at the meeting hall 15 minutes after Nepal and other leaders had left the venue, said Krishna Gopal Shrestha of UML.

Nepal left the meeting hall, saying that he had to address the meeting in the Parliament. Acharya, Bhusal and Pande are close to Nepal. Pande, however, had returned to attend the party meeting after addressing the Parliament.

The Nepal-led faction has been opposing the ‘unilateral’ decisions of party Chairman Oli, and on Saturday’s move highlights there is a serious rift developing within the second largest party.

The standing committee meeting was called on Saturday to discuss the proposed regulations of the party regarding management of party’s internal affairs.

Shrestha claimed that discussions could not take place properly on Saturday due to the absence of top leaders. A concrete decision will be taken during the central committee meeting scheduled for July 26, he said.

According to Shrestha, party’s central office will be shifted to Pasang Lhamu Memorial Foundation in Dhumbarahi on July 23.

Pro-Nepal Voice-Chairman Yubaraj Gyawali said the next meeting of the standing committee has been scheduled for July 16 to discuss the proposed regulations of the party.