KATHMANDU: CPN-UML politburo member and former minister Mahesh Basnet has submitted a set of 10 proposals during the party’s ongoing politburo meeting, cautioning against efforts to bring former President Bidya Devi Bhandari back into active party politics. He said such a move would be both unethical and procedurally flawed.
Basnet made his proposals public through social media, urging the party not to breach democratic norms and internal procedures by allowing a return to active politics merely out of personal preference. He emphasized that positions in the party should be decided through established processes, not individual desire.
He argued that if Bhandari’s membership is to be renewed or reissued, it should be decided by the central committee, not on a whim.
Addressing the age limit for leadership, he noted that while the 70-year threshold was once necessary, retirement should be based on will and capacity, not automatic rules. He cited past inconsistencies where leaders either withdrew when denied positions or re-entered politics when offered roles.
He warned against printing or promoting an alternative party statute to push specific agendas and accused some leaders of weakening the party by forming internal factions in the name of creating alternative leadership. Specifically, he said the plan to promote Bhandari as an alternative leader is a divisive tactic.
Basnet also criticized those who use the media to claim majority backing in the secretariat while turning hostile when outcomes don’t favor them. He called for a unified endorsement of the statute amendment proposal submitted by the secretariat after due revisions by the politburo.
Regarding senior leaders over 70, Basnet said they should be encouraged to contest openly rather than being pushed aside or ambiguously positioned. This, he argued, requires a broad-hearted leadership like that of KP Sharma Oli.
He also raised concern over emerging alliances among leaders including Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Shekhar Koirala, and Bhandari, suggesting their meetings could be part of a broader strategy to weaken UML under the pretext of left unity. Basnet stated that anti-communist elements are trying to infiltrate the party and should not be entertained.
He observed an increasing trend within UML to undermine loyal leaders by labeling them as incompetent. Asserting there is no alternative leadership ready at present, Basnet proposed that the party move forward under KP Oli’s leadership for the upcoming term.
Basnet offered statute-related recommendations. These include increasing the standing committee size to 25, forming a special committee for the Kathmandu Valley, expanding youth, student, labor, and women’s committees abroad, and forming active contact committees in districts facing rapid internal migration.
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