KATHMANDU: Just weeks after joining CPN (Unified Socialist), leader Bamdev Gautam’s request for key responsibilities has sparked internal disputes within the party.
Gautam, who officially joined the party led by Madhav Kumar Nepal on July 18, had embraced party chair Nepal and General Secretary Ghanashyam Bhusal in a warm gesture during a welcome event at Rastriya Sabha Griha. However, tensions began brewing even before a month passed.
Gautam had entered the Unified Socialist after his long-standing effort through the ‘NCP National Unity Campaign’ failed to bring him back into the UML fold. Disappointed by UML’s refusal, he eventually aligned with Madhav Nepal, stating he would live up to 100 years and fulfill his dream of establishing socialism.
But despite this grand declaration, internal friction arose soon after. Gautam, who holds the third-highest seniority in the party, began pressing for an “active role.” He warned as early as July 23 that he would not remain in the party for long without concrete responsibilities.
“I don’t want just a post,” Gautam told a gathering in Kirtipur on Pushpalal Memorial Day. “I want work. If a position is created with responsibilities, I’ll take it. Otherwise, I’m not interested.”
He added that he wouldn’t stick around if he was given a title without duties: “Give me a district, two districts, a municipality, or a region—some area where I can work with mass organizations, social units, and departments.”
Within a week, Gautam formally asked party chair Nepal to assign him the powerful *organization department*. According to vice chair Jagannath Khatiwada, Gautam personally met Nepal at the party office in Aloknagar with the request.
“Comrade Bamdev asked the chair for the organization department,” Khatiwada confirmed. “But how can we assign him such a key post within days of his return, especially after a four-year gap? He still needs to reconnect with the organization and its leaders.”
Currently, the department is headed by senior leader Dr. Beduram Bhusal. Khatiwada noted that while Gautam’s stature warrants respect, the party is not in a position to reassign such a crucial department without proper deliberation. “His demand will be considered, but the decision must be made through the party’s official meetings,” he added.
Chairman Nepal, for his part, briefed close aides that rushing to assign the department to Gautam might be premature. “He’s already ranked third in the party hierarchy. Let’s first see what other role might suit his stature,” Nepal reportedly said.
Bhusal, who currently leads the organization department, said he had not been approached by Gautam directly. “He may have spoken with the chair, but I have no knowledge of it,” he told *Khabarhub*. “There’s no dispute between us; we’re both National Assembly members and continue to interact.”
Though no open conflict has occurred, Gautam’s assertiveness has clearly unsettled the party’s balance, with some leaders worried about internal power struggles just as the Unified Socialist was trying to consolidate its position ahead of future political moves.
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