Major differences have not been sorted out. Both the parties should be dismantled to create the new party, preserving the history of both parties

Kathmandu, April 16

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and CPN-Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal met at Baluwatar today and decided that the much-anticipated meeting of the left alliance’s Party Unification Coordination Committee would be held tomorrow.

After the one-on-one meeting that lasted for more than two hours, the two top left leaders said they had narrowed down differences to a large extent and hoped that the PUCC would resolve the pending issues.

Sources said Oli and Dahal dwelt on unresolved issues, such as equal representation for both the parties in the unified party structures and incorporation of the spirit of the ‘people’s war’ in the unified party’s document and election symbol, but could not reach understanding.

CPN-MC has demanded 50:50 representation in the unified party’s structures and incorporation of the spirit of the ‘people’s war’ in the political document, not only the phrase ‘people’s war’ in its preamble. However, UML leaders have expressed reservations against CPN-MC’s demands.

Oli and Dahal have already agreed to co-chair the unified party until the general convention, but they have yet to divide their roles and responsibilities, such as who will become the executive head and who will head the unified party. Dahal wants executive role in the unified party as long as Oli is the prime minister.

Moreover, the CPN-MC has demanded that ‘hammer and sickle within the circle of sun’ be adopted as the election symbol for the unified party, but the UML wants just ‘sun’ as the election symbol of the unified party. According to Dahal’s Press Adviser Bishnu Sapkota, today’s meeting between Oli and Dahal was ‘positive’.

The PUCC was scheduled to meet on April 10 and 11, but it was postponed, giving rise to speculations about growing rift between the two parties and throwing the unification process in doubt.

In the previous PUCC meeting held on April 5, two task forces led by UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and CPN-MC leader Ram Bahadur Thapa had suggested that the formal unification be announced on April 22, coinciding with the birth anniversary of late Russian communist leader Vladimir Lenin.

But leaders from both the parties say the circumstances suggested unification on April 22 was not possible. “Major differences have not been sorted out,” Dahal’s Personal Secretary Jokha Bahadur Mahara told THT. “Both the parties should be dismantled to create the new party, but the history of both the parties should be preserved.”

The rift between Oli and Dahal ensued after Oli tried to impose his decisions while transferring 30 secretaries, bringing the National Investigation Department under the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and preparing the budget for the next fiscal without holding consultations with coalition partner CPN-MC. Ministers representing the CPN-MC had conveyed their grievances to Dahal after they felt Oli was taking crucial decisions unilaterally.

Sources said Dahal raised the grievances of CPN-MC ministers during his meeting with Oli today.

Meanwhile, the UML Standing Committee today discussed the latest developments, including the Oli-Dahal meeting, this morning, besides the issues to be discussed in tomorrow’s PUCC meeting.