KATHMANDU: CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli has once again come under criticism within party circles after a new internal task division proposal allegedly sidelines Vice General Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai.
According to the proposed restructuring presented at a recent Secretariat meeting held in Gundu, Bhattarai has been assigned to the “Policy and Planning Department,” while a more influential departmental leadership role has reportedly been given to another vice general secretary, Lekharaj Bhatt.
The proposal is expected to be endorsed in an upcoming meeting on Friday.
Under the new structure, Bhattarai is said to have been removed from major organizational responsibilities, a move critics within the party interpret as a political setback linked to internal differences.
Meanwhile, former Home Minister Bhanubhakta Dhakal has been proposed to lead the powerful Organization Department, one of the most influential positions within the party structure.
Dhakal, who previously led the party’s mass organizations coordination mechanism, has faced criticism in the past over organizational performance. However, he is now being elevated to a key organizational role under the proposed reshuffle.
Similarly, Pradip Gyawali has been proposed to head the Foreign Affairs Department, while former minister Sher Bahadur Tamang is set to lead the Party School Department responsible for ideological training.
In the youth and student wings, close allies of the leadership have also been assigned key positions, with National Youth Association Nepal and ANNFSU receiving new coordinators under the proposal.
If endorsed, the restructuring is expected to significantly reshape internal power balance within the UML, sidelining some leaders who hold differing views from the party establishment.
Comment