KATHMANDU: CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli has not allowed leaders seeking to express dissenting views to speak during the party’s ongoing Central Committee meeting, particularly those advocating a change in leadership.
At the meeting being held at Rambagh Mahal in Bhanimandal, Lalitpur, Deputy General Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai sought time on Tuesday to present his views on Oli’s political report but was not immediately allowed to speak. Bhattarai subsequently submitted an eight-point written proposal to Oli.
According to a Central Committee member attending the meeting, Bhattarai wanted to read out his proposal during the meeting, but submitted it in writing after Oli told him to wait for his turn to speak.
Bhattarai’s proposal states that the March 5 election, political developments following last year’s two-day Gen-Z movement in Bhadra, the report of the task force formed to review the election and the sentiments of party cadres and the public indicate a need for leadership transition.
He proposed that Oli voluntarily initiate the process of handing over leadership. Citing the difficulty of moving the party forward under the current circumstances, Bhattarai proposed an interim leadership arrangement by consensus until the local-level elections.
He did not specify whether the interim leadership should be formed from the existing office bearers or brought in from outside, instead proposing that a new leadership arrangement be made through consensus.
Bhattarai also proposed convening the National Representative Council or a General Convention to review the party statute, policies, programmes and political report.
He called for the restoration of the 70-year age limit in the party and amendments to the statute to institutionalise internal democratic practices.
He proposed focusing on the local-level elections and holding a general convention afterward, creating a legal provision to bring younger generations into leadership during the party’s restructuring, and allowing the party’s sister organisations to operate autonomously.
Bhattarai stressed the need to create an environment where dissent, questions and criticism are accepted and called for strengthening collective decision-making.
He also proposed campaigns for dialogue and cooperation with young people, including bringing Gen-Z youths onto the party’s platform and giving them responsibilities.
Regarding the government, Bhattarai proposed supporting its positive work while criticising its shortcomings. He also called for regular social audits of ministries, government policies and programmes, budgets and manifesto implementation through the party’s thematic departments, with the findings made public.
Karna and Krishnagopal on Monday, Yogesh on Tuesday
The issue of Oli restricting dissenting views did not arise only on Tuesday. On Monday, Central Committee members Karna Bahadur Thapa and Krishnagopal Shrestha were also reportedly prevented from presenting their views.
Shrestha had expressed criticism of Oli’s leadership and the party’s current situation on Monday, leading to a heated exchange between the two. Thapa was also reportedly stopped from presenting his document.
Earlier, Vice Chairman Bishnu Paudel and General Secretary Shankar Pokharel were given the opportunity to speak first during the discussion on Oli’s 88-page political report.
Pokharel said that although the government had carried out important work under Oli’s leadership, people had recently stopped wanting to hear about those achievements.
“Many important things were done under the chairman’s leadership, and we discussed them repeatedly, but lately people have not wanted to hear about them,” Pokharel said.
Pokharel said the Gen-Z movement and the subsequent election had shown that the party could not move forward under Oli’s leadership, but that their growing differences over party reform stemmed from Oli’s unwillingness to accept the issue.
Vice Chairman Bishnu Paudel, meanwhile, said it would not be in the party’s interest to divide the report prepared by a task force led by Vice Chairman Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’ into opposing camps.
“There were many disagreements when the task force was formed, but consensus was reached on many issues while preparing the report,” Paudel said. “Now that the report has been prepared, we have again reached a situation of division between its supporters and opponents. This is not good and does not serve the party’s interests.”
Oli not ready to step down
Leaders attending the meeting said Oli has rejected calls for leadership change. Oli has maintained that leaders seeking a change in leadership should raise the issue and debate it within the meeting.
However, Vice Chair Paudel and General Secretary Pokharel, among others, have supported the political report presented by Oli.
Oli has said he will not step back from the party’s restructuring campaign. He has also argued that he alone cannot be held responsible for the party’s poor performance in the recent election and has claimed that domestic and foreign conspiracies also contributed to the result.
Oli has also introduced stricter rules for conducting the meeting. Central Committee members must seek the chair’s attention and obtain permission before speaking. Mobile phones are not allowed in the meeting hall, and members must obtain the chair’s permission before leaving the meeting.
‘Yogesh was not denied speaking time, his written proposal is being studied’
UML Secretary Mahesh Basnet, who is considered close to Oli, rejected claims that Bhattarai and other leaders had been prevented from speaking.
Speaking to journalists after Tuesday’s meeting, Basnet said office bearers had been given speaking time like other Central Committee members, but that Bhattarai had submitted a written document and the chairman was studying it.
Basnet claimed that 41 Central Committee members had spoken so far and that while four or five had expressed critical views, the remaining members had supported Oli’s political report.
According to Basnet, Vice Chair Paudel and General Secretary Pokharel also told the meeting that they were not in favour of convening a special general convention.
Basnet further claimed that there had been efforts to remove Oli from party leadership, physically harm him, keep him in prison for a long period and discredit him. He said such efforts had failed due to the support of party leaders and cadres.
“There were attempts to physically eliminate the chairman, keep him in prison for a long time, remove him from all party responsibilities and discredit him, but all those attempts failed,” Basnet said.
He expressed confidence that the ongoing Central Committee meeting would resolve the problems seen within the party.
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