An informal meeting of the party´s top office bearers at the residence of Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal took a decision to this effect. [break]
The party also rescheduled the meeting of the Standing Committee, which was supposed to meet last Wednesday to set the agenda of the CC, for June 23.
“The talks are moving toward positive direction,” said Maoist Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha.
Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya, Vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Shrestha and General Secretary Narayankaji Shrestha were present during the meeting.
Sources say Dahal is struggling to take the party ahead in a unified manner despite serious intra-party disputes over the party line amidst tightening deadline for peace process and constitution drafting.
Dahal has proposed that the leadership fix a date for the party general convention, which is 20 years overdue, and settle the intra-party contradictions, while abiding by the principle of democratic centralism -- diversity in views, but unity in action.
“There has been some positive development toward embracing the line of peace and constitution and exercising democratic centralism for now. We can resolve them in the general conventions. We have also agreed in principle to remain united in the party and make self-criticism for being involved in factionalism,” Shrestha said.
The hard-line faction, led by Baidya, has launched a campaign to consolidate its position in the party and threatened to split the party as a pressure tactic to prevent Dahal from making compromises over the peace process and constitution drafting.
The Maoist chairman has been trapped between his commitment to other parties to complete the major tasks of the peace process within three months and serious objection from party hardliners to the party´s acceptance of the PLA integration model floated by the Nepal Army.
Baidya believes that the ending of the “People´s War” was a major deviation from the ideals of the revolution.
It is not easy for Dahal to drive the party ahead as per his wish as Baidya and Bhattarai factions have maintained a tactical alliance against Dahal which will reduce Dahal to a minority status. Dahal is close to Bhattarai on the issue of peace and constitution, while Bhattarai and Baidya have been forging on-and-off alliance to end Dahal´s “monopoly” in the party.
Bhattarai may not support Dahal on all the issues since the latter wants to give continuity to the current government against the former´s wishes. Bhattarai has argued that there must be a national unity government to conclude the peace process and constitution drafting.
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