KATHMANDU: Former Prime Minister and senior Unified Socialist leader Jhalanath Khanal has come out against his party’s potential unification with the Maoist Centre, saying this is not the right time for such a move.
Khanal’s secretariat issued a clarification on Friday, rejecting media reports that he was in favor of merging the Unified Socialist with the Maoist Centre. His press aide, Milan Upadhyay, said the reports were “false and misleading.”
“I spoke with Comrade Khanal this morning,” Upadhyay told reporters. “He remains firmly committed to rebuilding and strengthening the Unified Socialist itself. His stance has not changed from the statement he issued earlier.”
On October 12, Khanal had publicly urged party chair Madhav Kumar Nepal to immediately halt preparations for a merger with the Maoists. At the time, he argued that “the political season for unification has not yet arrived” and called for a “deep and self-critical review” of the four-year journey since the party’s split from the CPN-UML.
Khanal, currently in New Delhi tending to his wife, Ravilakshmi Chitrakar, who is undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital, reiterated through his aides that his earlier statement still reflects his official position.
“The official press release issued on October 12 remains Comrade Khanal’s firm and unwavering political view,” Upadhyay said, adding that the former prime minister believes the Unified Socialist should focus on organizational rebuilding and ideological consolidation rather than pursuing another unification drive.
He also criticized what he called confusing media narratives about Khanal’s position. “He is deeply committed to the party’s dignity, the continuity of its socialist ideals, and the revival of Nepal’s socialist movement,” Upadhyay said. “No one should be misled by speculative reports.”
The clarification comes at a time when party chair Nepal and Maoist Centre leaders have intensified discussions on a potential merger aimed at forming a stronger left alliance ahead of upcoming elections. However, internal divisions within both parties have raised doubts about whether the unification effort can move forward smoothly.
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