KATHMANDU – A meeting between the CPN (UML) Chairperson and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal group held today at the party central office in Dhumrabarahi has agreed to strike a common understanding for a party unity.
The meeting that took place barely three months after a rift in the party that went even stronger following the dissolution of the House of Representatives by PM Oli, aimed to clear bitterness surfaced within the party itself, it has been learnt.
Despite not arriving at a conclusion, the meeting overall was positive, said party’s spokesperson Pradeep Kumar Gyawali. Talks from a party unity would continue, he said. “From onwards, leaders will hold discussions in a series. The meeting has forged a common understanding.
Through the meeting, a base has been created to take the party ahead at a new pace on this foundation,” he said. On the occasion, leader Gyawali stressed the need for additionally strengthening the party and removing disputes within it by taking the court’s verdict to revive the UML as an opportunity. “Our common understanding is that only a strong UML can unite the entire country and give a leadership while bringing other communists together,” he said.
In the meeting, the Nepal group however disagreed to decisions taken by the party central committee meeting on March 12 wherein leaders of the group including party senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal were not invited, said leader Gyawali.
“We told that these decisions could be reviewed and corrected if need be. PM Oli told that these decisions could be discussed in next meeting,” he said. There had been a proposal to fix the date for a party central committee meeting through mutual discussions reasoning that a gathering of the group slated from March 17 and 18 would weaken party unity, he said.
Leader Bheem Bahadur Rawal who was present in the consultation said the meeting discussed about possible ways for uniting the party, but no conclusion came out of this. ”We told that the decisions of March 12 central committee meeting were not acceptable for us because they were unofficial, but they declined to recognise our voices and the next round of meeting is said to be held.”
He was of the view that with the revival of the CPN (UML) and the CPN (Maoist Centre) following the Supreme Court’s denial to validate the formation Nepal Communist Party through the unification of two parties, the CPN (UML) should move ahead being based on its status before May 17, 2018 (the day when the NCP was formed). We don’t accept any intra-party split and are committed to going ahead united.”
He insisted on the need of operating the party abiding by its statute, and system to ensure its integrity. ”We are ready to go ahead with a common understanding by cancelling the national gathering called for March 17 and 18 if the March 12 meeting decisions were cancelled.”
Relations between two factions have turned further sour after party Chair Oli reshuffled the central committee, made work allocation of the province committees, nominated leaders from the Maoist Centre as the central members and revised the party statute.
Chair Oli, general secretary Ishwor Pokhrel, leader Bishnu Poudel and party spokesperson Gyawali, Subash Nembang (from the Oli faction) and leaders Nepal, Rawal, Ghanshyam Bhusal and Surendra Prasad Pandey ( from the Nepal faction) were present in the meeting.
