KATHMANDU: Narrowing down the intra-party feud looks slim within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) as party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Prime Minister KP Oli have come down to blame-game politics.
A party leader said the Dahal and Oli engaged in a heated exchange of words in Sunday’s meeting alleging one another for the imbroglio particularly about the “unilateral” postponement of last week’s Standing Committee (SC) meeting despite the fact the Dahal camp went ahead with the meeting sans PM Oli and his close ones.
The Dahal camp has been alleging PM Oli for making unilateral decisions and not heeding to the party directives.
Sources claimed that Dahal and Oli on Sunday’s meeting held at the latter’s official residence in Baluwatar criticized one another for the postponement of Tuesday’s SC meeting also attended by party senior leader Jhalanath Khanal and SC member Subash Chandra Nemwang.
It should be noted that the Dahal camp had labeled the “unilateral” postponement of the SC meeting as “unfortunate”. PM Oli had soon expressed serious concern over the allegation on him.
PM Oli is learned to have categorically told Dahal that he would not hold ‘one-on-one’ talks with him.
“Therefore, while Dahal asked senior leader Khanal to accompany him, Nemwang accompanied PM Oli,” the source said.
Sunday’s meeting, too, failed to make any headway as both the sides remained adamant to their respective stance.
“They did not budge an inch,” the leader confided adding that Dahal and Khanal urged PM Oli to quit either one of the posts – Prime Minister or the party Chairman, which PM Oli rejected outright.
PM Oli is learned to have told Dahal and Khanal to not seek his resignation but initiate preparations for the general convention. “It will be better if we start preparing to hold the party’s general convention,” the leader quoted PM Oli as saying.
In response, Dahal and Khanal said they were ready to face the general convention. “We, however, want to give a way out to the current crisis,” the source quoted Dahal as saying.
Meanwhile, PM Oli wants the party Secretariat to address the issue before convening the meetings of the Standing Committee and Central Committee.
Meanwhile, party General Secretary Bishnu Poudel and other senior leaders have in recent times intensified meeting to bring Dahal and Oli closer to end the dispute.
A source, however, said that Sunday’s meeting can be a starting point for further talks between the two leaders.
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