KATHMANDU: The CPN-UML has called an emergency Secretariat meeting following dissatisfaction among party office-bearers over remarks made by parliamentary party leader and acting chairman Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’ during Thursday’s House of Representatives (HoR) session.
The meeting is scheduled for 1:00 pm on Friday to discuss concerns that Thapa’s statements in the HoR were inconsistent with the party’s established policies.
According to party sources, the primary agenda is to review Thapa’s remarks, which have sparked discontent among senior leaders. His appointment as parliamentary party leader just a day earlier has also raised questions within the party, and his comments in the first HoR meeting have further deepened internal tensions.
Thapa entered the HoR through the proportional representation system. The swift emergence of dissatisfaction at the top level over his statements is being seen as a sign of growing internal divisions within the party.
The situation has become more complex amid ongoing debates over leadership changes in the UML. The decision to appoint Thapa as acting chairman and parliamentary leader following the arrest of party chairman KP Sharma Oli has also faced opposition at the grassroots level.
Vice-chairman Bishnu Paudel has publicly expressed disagreement with Thapa’s remarks. In a social media post, he stated that Thapa’s views in the HoR were against the party’s established principles and norms.
Paudel has also signaled that the issue will be seriously discussed within the party. “I expect a thorough discussion and an appropriate decision in today’s meeting,” he wrote.
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