KATHMANDU: Former Vice-Chair of CPN-UML, Dr. Bhim Rawal, has taken a jab at party Chair KP Sharma Oli over a proposal to remove the 70-year age limit for party leadership positions, a move that would allow Oli to continue leading the party indefinitely.
The sarcastic remarks came after Oli floated the proposal during the ongoing central committee meeting in Chyasal. In response, Rawal took to social media, questioning Oli’s motives and mocking the rationale behind the proposal.
“If the provision to remove the 70-year age limit is to be scrapped, then perhaps time spent in jail should also be deducted,” Rawal wrote sarcastically. “To satisfy KP’s insatiable hunger for power and position, should we also form a party task force to subtract the years he spent in childhood, sleeping without working, or sick in bed before entering politics?”
The 70-year age cap was initially introduced in UML to regulate access to top leadership roles. However, recent internal discussions have centered around removing not only the age limit but also the two-term limit, provisions Oli himself is reportedly pushing to repeal ahead of the party’s 11th General Convention.
Dr. Rawal, a longstanding critic of Oli’s personality-centered leadership style, was expelled from the party in December 2024. He had previously accused Oli of undermining democratic processes and sidelining internal debate within the party.
Comment