KATHMANDU, Feb 20: In response to growing opposition among its senior leaders to the decision to form a chief justice-led election government, the CPN-UML has called an emergency meeting of the party´s standing committee on Wednesday.
The meeting was called after the party´s senior leader and former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal arrived in Kathmandu from Paris. Nepal has expressed serious objection to the party´s decision in favor of forming a government led by a sitting chief justice, as proposed by the ruling UCPN (Maoist). [break]
The UML earlier this week endorsed the proposal to form a government headed by the sitting chief justice even as an overwhelming majority of its central committee members were against the idea. The standing committee was also divided over the issue.
Nepal on Tuesday held discussions with UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokhrel, Secretary Shankar Pokhrel, Spokesperson Pradeep Gyawali and another leader, Agni Kharel, over the issue.
At the meeting with the leaders, Nepal termed the decision to form a government under the sitting chief justice as wrong. “The decision is wrong; the party should have decided to form a government led by either an independent person or a former chief justice,” one party leader quoted Nepal as saying at the meeting.
According to a party leader close to Nepal, CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal on Tuesday telephoned Nepal and requested him to join the inter-party talks. In response, Nepal rejected the idea of joining the talks, citing his reservations over the proposal of forming a government-led by the sitting chief justice.
“I was not involved in the party´s decision,” another party leader quoted Nepal as saying, and adding, “There is no point joining the talks on forming an election government headed by the sitting chief justice as I am against it.”
Asked about the reason for calling an emergency meeting, Spokesperson Gyawali said the meeting was called at the initiative of Nepal as the latter needed to be informed about recent developments.
“The meeting will also come up with the official stance of the party on the constitutional status of the political mechanism to be formed to make necessary recommendations to the government and the role of political parties if fresh polls could not be held within the stipulated deadline,” Gyawali added.
Secretary Shankar Pokharel said the meeting will dwell on the party´s recent decision and review the progress made in the interparty talks.
Asked about a possible decision, he said, “It is too early to make predictions about a decision.”
“The meeting will take a decision based on the progress made in interparty talks by tomorrow (Wednesday) and after accommodating Nepal´s views,” he added.
Responding to a query if the CPN-UML would retract its previous decision, a leader said, “It does not appear that a government led by the sitting chief justice will work. So, why should the decision be scraped?”
Former prime minister Nepal can play the role of a game changer in the CPN-UML because the standing committee is already divided over the issue. Chairman Khanal, Vice-chairmen Bamdev Gautam and Bidya Devi Bhandari, Senior Leader KP Oli and Secretary Bishnu Poudel are in favor of the decision to form a sitting chief justice-headed government while General Secretary Ishwor Pokhrel, Secretaries Shankar Pokhrel and Yuvaraj Gyawali and two other standing committee members, Amrit Bohora and Siddhilal Singh, are against.
According to a leader, Nepal had sent an email to the party leadership while the central committee and standing committee meetings were underway, suggesting not to accept the proposal on a sitting chief justice-led government.
The email was read out at the meetings of the central committee and standing committee.
Leaders close to him said that Nepal was further enraged following the party´s decision to go for the sitting chief justice-led government despite his request not to take such a decision.
Related story
UML to form 49-member standing committee (with names)
-1200x560-1779450784.webp)
