KATHMANDU: CPN-UML Senior Vice-Chair Ishwar Pokhrel has said he will fully accept the results of the party’s 11th General Convention, regardless of the outcome of the internal competition.
Interacting with journalists in Kathmandu on Wednesday, Pokhrel said one should not be happy only when winning but must also be ready to accept defeat and move forward in the party’s interest.
“Examples like Bhim Rawal or Madhav Nepal do not apply to us,” he said. “We compete, and even if we do not win, we remain in UML for UML. If we contest, we must also learn to accept the results. We stand for left unity. Leaving the party is not something we have considered.”
Pokhrel also urged people not to believe rumors being circulated to weaken his political standing.
He further claimed that questions regarding former President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s party membership would resurface soon.
In a separate interaction with editors in Kathmandu, Pokhrel criticized the UML leadership for suspending Bhandari’s organized membership. He said party Chairman KP Sharma Oli halted the membership during the Central Committee meeting on July 21 and 22, after learning that Bhandari might contest against him.
Calling the decision a mistake by the leadership, Pokhrel argued that neither Nepal’s constitution, the party statute, nor any law prevents Bhandari from obtaining party membership.
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