KATHMANDU: Chairperson of the CPN (Maoist Centre), Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, has said that the ongoing ideological and leadership crises within the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML present a political opportunity for the Maoist Centre.
Addressing a program organized by the Unified All Nepal Teachers’ Organization in Kathmandu on Saturday, Prachanda claimed that the Maoist Centre is currently the only major party without an ideological or political crisis.
He stated that if the Maoist Centre can effectively navigate the current situation, it could reclaim a leadership position in national politics.
Commenting on recent internal disputes within the UML, he referred to the controversy sparked by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s remarks about the late Madan Bhandari, suggesting he had “four wives” and was involved in cooperative fraud. Prachanda said the debate over who truly represents Bhandari’s ideology of “People’s Multiparty Democracy” (Jabaja) has deepened divisions within the UML.
“This crisis has intensified as former President Bidya Devi Bhandari has stepped forward, presenting herself as the true heir of Madan Bhandari’s legacy,” he said.
Prachanda also pointed to a leadership vacuum within the Nepali Congress, stating that the party lacks figures who match the ideological, political, and organizational stature of past leaders like BP Koirala and Girija Prasad Koirala.
“In contrast,” he said, “the Maoist Centre has maintained ideological clarity, as demonstrated by the unanimous decisions of its recent central committee and eighth general convention regarding the socialist revolution.”
He added that while some individuals may attempt to provoke division from outside, the party faces no internal political or leadership crisis.
“We view the current situation in other parties as an opportunity,” Prachanda said. “If we manage it wisely, we could once again emerge as a leading force in national politics.”
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