Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli’s effort to unite his party fails, rival faction to miss central committee meeting

Kathmandu: As Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is trying to pull out all stops to remain in power, however, the rival faction of the CPN-UML has decided to miss the meeting of revived Central Committee called on Friday. 

Oli on Wednesday dismissed the preparatory committee for hosting the general convention of the CPN-UML party, and transformed it into the ‘central committee’. 

“The national convention organising committee has been dissolved from today, and it has been converted into the Central Committee that we had before our party’s merger with the Maoist Centre,” said Pradeep Gyawali, spokesperson for the UML. 

The decision comes after the Supreme Court last month ruled that the committee meant for another purpose cannot appropriate the right and responsibilities of the central committee.

However, the Madhav Kumar Nepal faction has decided to boycott the meeting and has called Wednesday’s decision ‘sham’.

Meanwhile, opposition leaders say if the Nepal-Khanal faction is convinced to join hands with Oli, the PM would ask them to withdraw their support to the opposition alliance.

Updating on the health condition of CPN-UML leader Jhala Nath Khanal who is undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, PM’s Press Advisor, Surya Thapa said, “Jhala Nath Khanal is recovering” adding “during the meeting PM Oli said that the government has made arrangements for his treatment and that he had taken responsibility.”

A five-judge constitutional bench of the court hearing the petition demanding to reconstitute the Parliament dissolved by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Oli’s recommendation is likely to close the hearing this week and deliver the verdict by Monday.

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