KATHMANDU: UML Chair KP Sharma Oli has issued a stern warning to party leaders expressing support for former President Bidya Devi Bhandari, signaling an increasingly hardline stance as the party’s Central Committee meeting kicked off in Chyasal, Lalitpur.
In his address on Monday, Oli cautioned that those siding with the former President would face strict disciplinary action. According to a Central Committee member present at the meeting, Oli indirectly accused some party leaders of acting as Bhandari’s “spokespersons” and vowed to take punitive steps if the trend continued.
“I met former President Bhandari yesterday and offered my suggestions. She has not yet responded,” Oli was quoted as saying. He revealed that Bhandari had declined his invitation to meet at the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar, opting instead to visit the party office in Chyasal.
Although Oli framed the meeting as a routine exchange, his remarks suggested growing unease over Bhandari’s perceived political re-engagement. In an apparent jab at senior leaders Ishwar Pokharel, Surendra Pandey, and Karan Bahadur Thapa, who reportedly commented on the Oli-Bhandari meeting, he accused them of stirring unnecessary controversy and undermining party unity.
The former Prime Minister also warned that the party was facing a challenge even greater than the internal rebellion led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal in the past. “Attempts are underway to make UML ‘Oli-free’ and even to make Nepal UML-free,” he said, adding, “Such efforts will be defeated.”
Oli’s remarks appeared aimed at preempting dissent ahead of crucial internal debates, including proposals to introduce age and term limits within party leadership.
He dismissed rumors that the proposed 70-year age limit was designed to sideline him, insisting that such narratives ignore his political sacrifices, including years spent in prison.
Sources said Oli’s confrontational tone is part of a broader strategy to neutralize the growing influence of figures sympathetic to Bhandari within the party, as she reportedly contemplates a return to active politics. Oli framed such a move as a threat to the integrity of the presidency and the republican system itself.
The Central Committee meeting comes ahead of UML’s statute convention scheduled for September 5-7 in Godavari, where key decisions on leadership structure and internal governance are expected.
Comment