Dahal condemned the front page editorial in the newspaper that criticized his attempt to silence Bhattarai.[break]
“We should not construe it as a technical matter (a gap in the understanding of the last central committee´s decision); otherwise it will be a one-sided assessment and we will not be able to reach any correct conclusion,” Maoist leader Haribol Gajurel quoted Dahal as saying during the meeting.
But Bhattarai stated that he only criticized the party headquarters´ move to silence him.
When Dahal did not allow Bhattarai to voice his dissent at the cadre training program Monday, the latter had boycotted the function and later gave an interview to Janadesh in which he termed Dahal´s move a “violation of party norms and values”. Similarly, Janadesh, in a front page editorial, termed Dahal´s decision an instance of “comprador-bureaucratic tendency at party headquarters”. In the afternoon, party leader Hisila Yami had forced her way onto the podium at the closed-door meeting and cried foul over “lack of internal democracy” in the party.
According to Gajurel, Dahal stated at the politburo Wednesday that the boycotting of the mega event by Bhattarai and his interview in the party mouthpiece were the direct result of a gap between Bhattarai and the party as a whole in the understanding of the party´s fundamental principles.
“Whoever has committed the mistake should realize it. We will discuss if the current drama is intentional,” said Kul Prasad KC, who is close to Baidya.
Bhattarai, however, said that as he is chief of the party´s publicity department Janadesh is under him. He stated that he had asked for the resignation Komal Baral, editor-in-chief of Janadesh, as the latter declined to run the interview.
“I as publicity department chief had told Baral that I would take all responsibility for publishing the interview. But he did not publish it,” a leader quoted Bhattarai as stating during the meeting.
The establishment faction has interpreted the Janadesh episode as an “attempt at counter-revolution.”
“Janadesh violated the party´s principles,” Gajurel said, “Bhattarai and Yami have violated party norms and discipline. The party should take action against them if they don´t engage in self-criticism publicly,” he said.
The establishment faction is especially angry with Yami.
At the politburo meeting, Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya said that the party should take a middle path and settle the issue amicably. “The party should find out what went wrong and where the puzzle is,” a leader quoted Baidya as saying.
He said that the party should find out what went wrong and solve the problem instead of taking action against any leaders.
“We should realize the mistakes honestly,” he said.
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