DHARAN, DECEMBER 31

Province 1 Chief Minister Sherdhan Rai has suspended 15 Provincial Assembly members belonging to the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-Madhav Kumar Nepal faction of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), but the Dahal-Nepal faction removed Rai as the leader of the parliamentary party of the PA and claimed that the CM's decision to suspend lawmakers didn't hold.

Rai, who is close to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, decided to suspend lawmakers from the rival faction for their anti-party activities.

The suspended PA members are: Indra Bahadur Aangbo, Jivan Ghimire, Bijaya Kumar Biswas, Bhim Prasad Acharya, Sabitra Kumari Regmi, Upendra Prasad Ghimire, Yosodha Adhikari, Lila Ballav Adhikari, Rajendra Kumar Rai, Lachhuman Tiwari, Mohan Kumar Khadka, Kul Prasad Samba, Dhirendra Sharma, Tanka Aangbohang Limbu, and Kusum Shrestha. A letter was sent today to the PA Secretariat informing it about their suspension.

Lawmakers close to Dahal and Nepal, meanwhile, removed Rai as the leader of the parliamentary party and replaced him with Bhim Prasad Acharya. They have also sent a letter to the PA Secretariat informing it about Acharya's selection as the PP leader.

“A no-confidence motion was been registered against the chief minister. He was involved in anti-party activities even after that. That's why he had to be removed from the post of PP leader,” said NCP parliamentary party deputy leader Aangbohang.

He said Rai’s decision to suspend lawmakers in his capacity of PP leader would not hold.