Kathmandu, Nepal, June 29, 2021: Even though the so-called last-ditch efforts made by the second rung leaders of the ruling CPN UML to keep party united by burying the internal tussle among the top leaders failed to yield positive results, the dissident faction led by Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhala Natha Khanal has remained skeptic to register a new party announcing formal split from the UML.
The Nepal-Khanal-led faction of ruling CPN-UML has been waiting the Supreme Court verdict over the writ petition filed by the opposition alliance demanding reinstatement of the dissolved parliament and appointment of the Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba as the new Prime Minister. Constitutional bench at the Supreme Court has been hearing over the cases.
The dissident faction of the UML has been waiting the Supreme Court verdict with the conviction that the to be delivered verdict would determine the fate of KP Sharma Oli as Prime Minister and his future course of politics as chairman of the UML.
Though the voice for forming a new party had been getting stronger inside the Nepal-Khanal-led faction, it had not been able to announce the new party due to the pressure from the second rung leaders namely Surendra Pandey, Yogesh Bhattrai, Gokarna Bista and Ghanashyam Bhusal.
Several rounds of meetings and sittings were held between the second rung leaders including Bishnu Poudel, Subash Nembang and others from the Oli’s side. But they have failed to yield positive results after top leaders from both the factions, remained on their respective stands.
It is said that Oli had put forward a condition before the Nepal-Khanal-led faction that the signature put by the 22 lawmakers demanding appointment the Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba as new Prime Minister and the writ petition filed at the Supreme Court to this effect have to be withdrawn to consider over the actions taken against them.
Likewise, the dissident faction had put forward a condition before the Prime Minister that the government’s decision to dissolve the parliament has to be withdrawn and the party has to be reached before the unification with the CN Maoist Center to make an environment for the consensus.
Both the sides didn’t agree to fulfill the demands put forward by the respective sides suspecting of strategy to bypass other side. But, the second rung leaders have not announced yet about their failure to forge consensus to keep party united though leaders have begun to indulge on tug-of-war over the issue of so-called consensus attempts.
Prime Minister and Party chair Oli has not only been humiliating dissident leaders aligned in the Nepal-Khanal-led faction by expelling from the party but also criticizing them for bargaining for the posts. Similarly, the dissident faction, particularly the leader Nepal, has been threatening Oli to take revenge in a favorable time either regaining strength in the party or registering a new one.
The recent stance of tug-of-war between Oli and Nepal including of Monday would be taken as an extent of disagreement between the two leaders. As Nepal had stated earlier that he was offered the post of prime minister for consensus, Oli replied on Monday stating that he was not bitten by a mad dog to offer Nepal for the post of Prime Minister.
He (Nepal) said that I have offered the post of prime minister to him. Am I bitten by a mad dog to offer him?, Oli said on Monday. Later in the day, Nepal also responded to Oli’s remarks asking all to keep the recordings of Oli and compare his past remarks and present ones. Oli is at the top to violate basic civility, Nepal said.
Nepal-Khanal led faction is backing the opposition alliance formed comprising the main opposition party Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Center), Upendra yadav led faction of the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) and the Rastriya Janamorcha what they said to fight against of the unconstitutional move of the prime Minister Oli.
