Rift inside Nepal ruling party resurfaces, leaders convene their camp meetings

KATHMANDU: Tensions resurfaced between Prime Minister and Nepal ruling party chair KP Sharma Oli and the party’s other co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal amidst the former “unilateral” moves despite agreeing to take decisions on the basis of consultation and consensus.

Oli and Dahal convened a meeting on Saturday after which a rift between the two leaders has reportedly increased further. Both leaders have been convening meetings of their own faction.
Dahal on Sunday evening called on leaders of his side and briefed them about possible party split.

“Prime Minister Oli has made it clear that he will not summon secretariat meeting and also would not obey decisions and directives given by any sort of two-third majority owing committees. He also has warned us of dire steps if we make any sort of moves or plot against him. Along with this, he also made it clear that we can part our ways if we cannot work together,” a senior leader who attended Sunday evening’s briefing quoted Dahal as saying.

Early on Sunday afternoon, General Secretary and incumbent Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel also said that the party has been facing “serious existential crisis.”

“At this time, a serious crisis has arisen in the face of the unified and indivisible existence of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN). I request all the leaders, cadres and member comrades to contribute for the protection of party unity by resolving the mutual contradictions with consensus,” Paudel, one of the close confidants of Oli tweeted.

Paudel’s tweet has increased doubts about the future of the CPN, which has a complete majority (nearly two-thirds) in both houses and majority in 6 out of 7 provinces of the Himalayan Nation.

Oli unilaterally reshuffled the cabinet last month breaking the earlier agreement of consulting other co-chair and party members before taking crucial decisions.

Dahal said that he proposed to make decisions about ambassadors and appointments of other posts by conveying the secretariat meeting which was denied by Oli on Saturday’s latest round of meeting too, the senior leader from Dahal’s side who attended Sunday’s briefing added.

Both the leaders of the ruling CPN have been at odds over the issues of appointment of ambassadors, a reshuffle of the cabinet, no-confidence-motion against Chief Minister of Karnali Province and murder of CPN District-level leader in Parsa.

Criticised on various fronts for mishandling and turning an eye-out from the situation of the pandemic, dissatisfaction over activities of the CPN leadership is rising in the Himalayan Nation. (ANI)