KATHMANDU: A Secretariat meeting of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has started at  Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who is also the Chairman of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), is submitting his responses at the meeting.

Oli in today’s meeting will respond to the 19-page long proposal submitted by Prachanda accusing Oli of corruption, nepotism, dictatorship, etc., in a political proposal and has also urged him to resign.

Posting a twitter message, Prime Minister’s Press Advisor Surya Thapa informed that the Secretariat meeting has started at Baluwatar.

पार्टी सचिवालय बैठक शुरू भएकाे छ ।
प्रधानमन्त्री तथा अध्यक्ष केपी शर्मा ओलीले लिखित जवाफ प्रस्तुत गर्ने निर्धारित कार्यसूचि रहेकाे छ । pic.twitter.com/zEJabkVoz9

— Surya Thapa (@ThapajiSurya) November 28, 2020

Prime Minister and NCP Chairman KP Sharma Oli, Executive Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, senior leaders Jhala Nath Khanal and Madhav Nepal, Vice Chairman Bamdev Gautam, General Secretary and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokhrel and Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha are present in the meeting.

In the nine-member powerful Secretariat committee of the ruling NCP, Prime Minister Oli is in minority. General Secretary Paudel and DPM Pokhrel are in favor of Oli while Nepal, Khanal, Gautam and Shrestha belong to Dahal faction.  Ram Bahadur Thapa, who was advocating for party unity and Oli-led government, now seems neutral.

Earlier, at the Secretariat meeting held on November 13, PM Oli had put forth his views by refuting the proposal and accusations leveled on him by Executive Chairman of the party Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda.’

In the November 18 meeting of the party secretariat, PM Oli had sought 10 days’ time to furnish response to Prachanda’s accusation to him.

Oli in the meeting had maintained that if the accusations leveled on him were not justified, the accusers would take responsibility.

Earlier, in a meeting with Standing Committee members Haribol Gajurel and Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Prachanda said that disputes within the party would resolve or escalate further depending on Oli’s proposal.

The meeting being held today is taken as a significant event at a time when the exchange of accusations and their release to the public has created suspicion on party unification.

In the recent months, the ruling NCP has witnessed intra-party dispute over the appointment of ambassadors, Cabinet reshuffle, dispute in Karnali Province, vendetta among party cadres in Tarai districts, RAW Chief’s meeting with PM Oli.