Kathmandu, Nepal, October 20, 2020: Relation between the leaders of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), particularly the chairmen duo KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, has soured further in recent days after ‘unilateral’ cabinet expansion and standoff in Karnali province. Following the recent two moves, party leaders have been engaging on blame games jeopardizing the recent consensus efforts to keep the party intact.
Executive chairman Dahal, who is already miffed with Prime Minister Oli over his ‘unilateral’ decision to induct new ministers in the cabinet has now intensified campaign against Oli ‘to balance him’ by taking into confidence the dissident leaders namely Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhala Nath Khanal, Bamdev Gautam, Narayen Kaji Shrestha and others.
The dissident leaders have alleged Oli of taking ‘unilateral’ decision while expanding cabinet and creating ‘unnecessary’ standoff in the Karnali province by registering no confidence motion against the Chief Minister (CM) Mahendra Bahadur Shahi.
During a recent meeting, Dahal had alleged Oli of inciting a section of the party's lawmakers to move a motion of no-confidence against his trusted lieutenant CM Shahi. Likeiwse, Oli had also accused Dahal of running the party affairs unilaterally bypassing him while taking key decisions related to the party's internal affairs.
As Prime Minister Oli inducted three ministers from his faction without any consultation in the party, the dissident leaders have alleged him for violating the previous understanding of power balance to settle the intra-party differences. The months long squabbling of the ruling NCP was ended just weeks before with the understanding that cabinet will be reshuffled soon to induct some leaders from the dissident camps to mention balance in the government.
Earlier, there was a speculation understanding that Bishnu Paudel, who is close to Oli, Surendra Pandey, who is close to Nepal and Janardan Sharma, who is close to Dahal will be inducted in the cabinet as ministers.
But Oli had appointed his trusted Paudel, Lilanath Shrestha and Krishna Gopal Shrestha as ministers. The decision has not only irked Dahal and Nepal but others, particularly the vice-president Bam Dev Gautam as he had also been campaigning hard for to be appointed as Finance Minister with deputy Prime Minister’s portfolio.
Though the move to oust CM Shahi from power was aborted after lawmakers close to Nepal withdrew their support to the no-confidence motion, the move has still been igniting troubles within the ruling NCP.
Party insiders have a fear that the differences seen in the center among the top leaders, particularly between the chairmen duo Oli and Dahal could spill over in the party's committees across the country jeopardizing the prospect of keeping party unity.
Dissident leaders have said preferring anonymity that the development would foster alliance between Dahal and Nepal against Prime Minister Oli not only to oust his trusted CM of Bagmati Province, Dormani Poudel and Province 1, Sher Dhan Rai but also to balance Oli in the center. Dahal and Nepal had forged an alliance to seek the resignation of Prime Minister Oli.
But, the demand was aborted after Dahal and Gautam made an agreement with Oli to patch up differences. Following the recent developments, dissident leaders have been campaigning for central committee meeting to demand Oli’s resignation from the post of Prime Minister.
