CPN-UML, the prime minister´s party and also the third largest party in the CA, is once again in turmoil. Internal disputes in the UML are nothing new but the trouble this time round is far more serious than meets the eye. Personal and ideological issues have mixed up to create an explosive situation in the UML. It´s on the one hand a clash between the Khanal camp and the Nepal-Oli camp and on other, it´s a clash of a sort of ideology -- whether the UML should remain part of a democratic alliance or join hands with the Maoists to forge a left-alliance. This dilemma is the result of a much more fundamental issue-- whether the UML is a democratic party or a leftist party?
Party Chairman Jhalanath Khanal doesn´t only have a personal rivalry with Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and senior leader K P Oli but he also resents the fact that Nepal became prime minister though he, Khanal, had a legitimate claim to the post. After all, Khanal is the party chairman, the leader of the UML parliamentary party, and an elected lawmaker.
In contrast, Nepal lost elections from two constituencies and resigned from the post of general secretary to take responsibility for the poll debacle. And yet Nepal became prime minister because the NC preferred him and proposed his name. Moreover, while Khanal may not be a leftist zealot, he is at heart still a communist and finds himself close to the Maoists in the analysis of the current political situation and over nationalism and social transformation.
It is, therefore, no surprise that Khanal wants to join hands with the Maoists and become the next prime minister, something the Nepal-Oli camp vehemently opposes. Nepal-Oli want the present "democratic alliance" to continue, which means they see the UML more as a social democratic party than a communist one.
The Nepal-Oli camp sees the Maoists-without-reform as a major threat not only to the peace process but also to the UML itself. But that´s not the only reason why the Nepal-Oli camp is hell-bent against Khanal leading a government with the backing of just the Maoists. They also want to wrest party leadership from Khanal in future. The rivalry between the Khanal and Nepal-Oli camps is, therefore, as much about the past as it is about the future.
As the prime minister´s election draws closer the intra-party feuding is likely to get nastier. A split in another party is the last thing the country needs right now. And a split in the thirst largest party, which holds the key to the current political deadlock, will not help the peace process or the country´s polity. We hope the UML will be able to sort out its internal rift amicably, and stand firmly in favor of peace and democracy.