KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Oli has instructed Nepal Communist Party-affiliated youth and student leaders close to him to launch street protests in his favor.

In a mid-night meeting with the youth leaders at the prime minister’s official residence, PM Oli asked the students and youth leaders to defend his position by launching nationwide protests.

“Since Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Madhav Kumar Nepal and others have used the Standing Committee members against me, you (youths) need to fight in my favor,” a student leader quoted PM Oli as telling them.

PM Oli is current under fire from his party leaders. He is in a minority in the Standing Committee as well as the party Secretariat.