Kathmandu: Nepal’s protracted political crisis deepened on Saturday after embattled Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli rejected Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda’s” accusations that he was running the government without consulting the party, and instead blamed his rival for non-cooperation in handling the party’s affairs.
In the much-awaited Central Secretariat meeting of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) Saturday, Prime Minister Oli submitted a separate 38-page political document in response to the allegations made by party’s executive chairman “Prachanda”.
Oli was responding to the allegations made against him by “Prachanda” in his 19-page political paper presented at the Secretariat meeting November 18.
In his report, Prachanda had accused Oli of running the government without consulting the party, failing to abide by the party’s due procedures and engaging in corruption.
Prime Minister Oli dismissed the allegations levelled against him by “Prachanda” while submitting the separate report, according to a senior Standing Committee member of the party.
Oli, in his response, has accused chairman “Prachanda” of non-cooperation in handling the party’s affairs, as well as steering the government.
According to party Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha, the meeting took place at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar. The next meeting has been scheduled for December 1 at the party headquarters in Dhumbarahi on the outskirts of Kathmandu.
The tussle between the two warring factions of the ruling CPN surfaced after the dissident group leaders, including “Prachanda” and senior leader of the party Madhav Kumar Nepal, demanded Oli’s resignation from both as the party’s chairman and as Nepal’s prime minister after he accused them of conspiring against him to topple his government.
In June, Oli claimed that efforts were being made to oust him after his government redrew the country’s political map by incorporating three strategically key Indian territories.
India termed as “untenable” the “artificial enlargement” of the territorial claims by Nepal after its Parliament unanimously approved the new political map of the country featuring Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura areas which India maintains belong to it.
The Nepal Communist Party, formed after the merger between Oli led CPN-UML and Prachanda led CPN (Maoist Centre) in May 2018, is divided along the two factions led by Oli and Prachanda. The Prachanda faction enjoys majority in the nine-member Secretariat, the highest decision-making body of the party.
After several rounds of negotiations, the Standing Committee of the party September 11 endorsed a 15-point decision drafted by a six-member task force which was formed to resolve the long-standing dispute between the two factions.
PTI