Kathmandu April 22

Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and CPN-MC Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal have reached a gentleman’s agreement to have 200 leaders from both parties in the Central Committee of the unified party.

Left alliance sources said senior CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has, however, opposed the gentleman’s agreement between PM Oli and CPN-MC Chair Dahal.

Dahal today told party leaders in an extended meeting of the party’s office bearers held at Dahal’s residence that PM Oli told him he was under pressure from UML leaders on the gentleman’s agreement.

“Oli told me that his party leaders had told him they would not accept the 50/50 ratio in the Central Committee,”  CPN-MC leader Ganesh Shah quoted Dahal as saying.

“Dahal found out that Senior UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal had opposed the gentleman’s agreement,” a senior CPN-MC leader who participated in the extended office bearers meeting in Khumaltar told THT.

“We have suggested that our chairman should talk to Madhav Kumar Nepal separately or jointly with PM Oli to clinch the unity deal” CPN-MC leader Devendra Poudel told THT. According to him, the three leaders could sit together to sort out the issues and move ahead with the process of party unity.

Dahal and Oli today assured party leaders that nothing could prevent unity between the two parties.

The senior CPN-MC leader Ram Bahadur Thapa-led task force had recommended that the unified party’s Central Committee would have 299 members. The UML leader wanted to have 200 members in the CC of the unified party from their own party the UML; and 99, one-third of the total strength from the CPN-MC.

CPN-MC Chair Dahal did not agree on the number and suggested having 400 members to ensure equal participation from both parties. Shah said, CPN-MC would not accept UML’s proposal to have one-third members from the CPN-MC in the unified party’s CC.

UML leaders are not interested in mentioning the ‘people’s war’ in the preamble and its contribution in the political documents.

“The contribution of ‘people’s war’ and people’s movement should be incorporated in the political document,” Poudel said.

“We should not say percentage but there should be equal representation” Poudel added. According to Shah, CPN-MC would not make a big issue about the Sun as election symbol if other issues, particularly representation in the party’s structures and the adjustment of leadership were resolved.

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