KATHMANDU, MARCH 25
Rift between the two factions of the ruling CPN-UML has grown wider, with the faction led by Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal calling the central committee meeting of its faction, ignoring the establishment faction's threat of disciplinary action for holding factional meetings.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who leads the establishment faction of the party, on the other hand, has called a parliamentary party meeting coinciding with the rival faction's central committee meeting.
UML lawmaker Subas Chandra Nembang, who is close to Oli, said the rival faction's central committee was not a valid committee as neither Chairperson Oli nor General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel had called the meeting.
Asked if the establishment faction would take disciplinary action against leaders of the rival faction, Nembang said, "I do not want to comment on a hypothetical question. I believe that all party lawmakers will attend the parliamentary party meeting tomorrow."
The Nepal-Khanal faction has been boycotting the central committee and parliamentary party meetings called by the prime minister. According to Nembang, the parliamentary party meeting was called to discuss party lawmakers' role in the House of Representatives.
Khim Lal Bhattarai, another UML lawmaker close to Oli, said leaders of the Nepal-Khanal faction must admit their faults and pledge to reform themselves.
"Nepal must reform himself. Even in his clarification letter he has not admitted his mistakes. Instead, he has sought clarification from Oli. Instead of resolving the crisis, his rebuttal will complicate matters," he added.
Leaders of the Nepal-Khanal faction have asked the establishment faction to rescind its decision to unilaterally amend the party statute to induct 23 former Maoist leaders in the party's Central committee.
Leaders of the Nepal-Khanal faction have been demanding a return to the 16 May 2018 status (before UML's unification with CPN-MC to form Nepal Communist Party) and revival of all party committees prevalent at that time for the sake of party unity. The rival faction has threatened to revive party committees that existed before 16 May 2018.
Oli is miffed at Nepal for siding with NCP Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal to remove him as party co-chair and general member.
Oli was rendered into minority in the NCP, but after the Supreme Court nullified the unification of the NCP, Nepal had to return to CPN-UML, which is chaired by Oli.
Leaders of the Nepal-Khanal faction of the UML say Oli, who was in minority in almost all party bodies of the UML before the merger with the CPN-MC, is now trying to arbitrarily form and reshuffle party committees to maintain his majority in those party bodies.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 26, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
