NCP dispute likely to linger as Oli appears unapologetic in his response to Dahal

Kathmandu, November 29

The ongoing dispute in the ruling Nepal Communist Party about the way the party and the government under its leadership are governed is likely to extend further.

During a key meeting of the party secretariat held in Kathmandu on Saturday, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, one between two chairmen of the party, tabled a 38-page written response to another chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s 19-page political document tabled 15 days ago.

Whereas Dahal had accused Oli of ignoring party decisions and promoting factionalism, calling the prime minister to make needful sacrifices to correct the course. Oli on Saturday, in response, said he ‘rejected’ all the accusations, clarifying he would leave neither the premiership nor the party chairmanship until the next general elections and the party elections respectively.

Two chairmen of the Nepal Communist Party, KP Sharma Oli (l) and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, during the party’s secretariat meeting, on Saturday, November 28, 2020. Photo: Oli’s secretariat

Oli, once again, blamed Dahal and leaders supporting him for blocking smooth functioning in the party and the government. He also accused the former Maoist leader of plotting a conspiracy to divide the party, formed just two years ago with the merger between the then CPN-UML under Oli’s leadership and the CPN-Maoist Centre under Dahal’s.

Oli has distributed his response to all eight other members of the secretariat including Dahal for a study on Saturday. The secretariat will meet next on Tuesday to discuss both documents submitted by Oli and Dahal.