Kathmandu December 26

It seems there’s lack of trust among leaders of the left alliance over formation of the new government and unification of the alliance’s two constituents — the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Centre.

This was evident in the fact that UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and CPN-MC Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal today failed to hold a meeting even though Dahal arrived in Kathmandu from Chitwan after four days. Insiders say they were not sure whether or not the two would meet tomorrow.

“The top leaders don’t have any meeting scheduled for tomorrow. It will be fixed tomorrow itself,” said Dahal’s Private Secretary Jokha Bahadur Mahara.

Sources said Oli’s meeting with Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav to ‘discuss government formation’ didn’t go down well with Dahal, while Oli was unimpressed by Dahal’s statement that the two parties had agreed to share the prime minister’s post on rotation basis. Even senior UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal’s statement that CPN-MC’s contribution should be respected while effecting unification didn’t go down well with Oli.

Oli had hinted about his dissatisfaction with Nepal and Dahal at a dinner in a Kathmandu hotel last night.

Realising that mistrust among top leaders would put at risk government formation and party unification, second-layer leaders are working to create an environment of trust among top leaders.

According to a left alliance leader, second-rung leaders of both the parties will hold a meeting tomorrow in Kathmandu to ‘eliminate mistrust’.

CPN-MC leaders Devendra Poudel and Janardan Sharma are holding consultations with UML leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal, Bamdev Gautam, Bishnu Poudel and Yogesh Bhattarai, among others, to create conducive environment for party unification and government formation.

Poudel and Sharma also discussed the matter with Krishna Bahadur Mahara today.

“We should not let negativity crop up, as forming the government with either the Nepali Congress or the FSF-N is against the people’s mandate and national interest,” Poudel told THT.

“The unification should be done in a respectful manner, giving proper roles to the four former prime ministers.”

UML leader Pradeep Gyawali, however, denied that there was any mistrust between Oli and Dahal. “It is nothing but a conspiracy theory. A complex issue such as party unification takes time,” Gyawali said. “Talks are under way on the unification modality and government formation.”

There are only minor differences among leaders on the future course of the unified party, he said. “They will be sorted out.”

Gyawali, however, said the proposal of sharing the prime minister’s post by Oli and Dahal by turns did not make sense given that the two parties would eventually unite.

Meanwhile, second-rung leaders have proposed the formation of committees on document drafting and organisational structure under the Party Unification Coordination Committee.

The unification in itself is a challenging process, as leaders of both parties might have to be demoted. The fact that the CPN-MC has around 4,000 members in its central convention organising committee makes unification even more challenging. Leaders have also floated an alternative proposal under which the top two leaders will be appointed as chairman and co-chairman of the unified party and a convention organising committee will be formed with the top two leaders as co-coordinators.

Only time will tell how the two parties will resolve their differences to effect unification.