A meeting of the party Standing Committee held just ahead of the party´s brief meeting of the CC on Thursday took a decision to this effect.[break]
"Sometimes it appears that we are close to reaching consensus and at other times, the differences look so wide that I feel we cannot overcome them. So it is better to discuss the issue at the CC," a party leader quoted Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal as saying during the CC meeting while announcing the decision of the Standing Committee held earlier.
Maoist vice-chairmen duo Mohan Baidya and Baburam Bhattarai have forged an alliance, which is backed by another Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha and General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa to force Dahal to share power with other leaders in the party.
Top Maoist leaders are meeting at Dahal´s residence on Friday morning to try to reach consensus prior to the CC meeting.
The CC meeting was postponed to Friday after Dahal announced that he would hold regular meeting of the CC to resolve the issue.
"The chairman decided to face the alliance at the CC meeting," said party leader Haribol Gajurel, who is close to Dahal.
Both the party establishment and the Baidya-Bhattarai alliance claim that they have majority in the party Standing Committee and the CC. But party insiders say none of them enjoy majority in the body.
In the 16-member Standing Committee, the party establishment has the support of five members comprising Posta Bahadur Bogati, Girirajmani Pokharel, Barshaman Pun, Dinanath Sharma and Dahal himself.
Similarly, the alliance formed against Dahal has the support of eight members comprising Mohan Baidya, Baburam Bhattarai, Narayankaji Shrestha, C P Gajurel, Dev Gurung, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Netra Bikram Chand. Likewise, four members including Amik Serchan, Lialamani Pokharel, and Krishna Bahadur Mahara are said to have taken a neutral stance.
The internal conflict in the party has reached a tipping point after the alliance held a meeting at Dhobigat, Lalitpur on Wednesday and signed a commitment paper demanding collective leadership.
"Things are in favor of the chairman after that meeting. Party leaders from across the country have sympathized with the chairman," said a leader close to Dahal.
According to sources, Dahal is ready to meet most of the demands of the alliance, but doesn´t want to quit as party leader in parliament.
"The chairman has given a verbal commitment to quit as party leader in parliament after August 31. But don´t buy that idea," said a leader close to Bhattarai.
The party leaders say Dahal has also agreed to give Thapa the post of military chief, and Baidya the organization department, but the alliance leaders have demanded that Dahal define their jurisdiction unambiguously so that they would not be rendered rubberstamps.
Dahal has argued that quitting as the party´s leader in parliament would not only be humiliating for him, but would also weaken him. "To complete the peace process he should take a bold decision and become stronger. But the demand from the alliance [for Dahal to quit as PP leader] would only weaken him," said a leader close to Dahal.
Alliance leaders have on the other hand argued that collective leadership would facilitate the completion of the peace process as centralization of power has given him free hand to do anything to fulfill his vested interests.
The second generation leaders from all three factions are busy holding informal meetings to resolve the disputes.
Related story
Shantichowk accident update: Four seriously injured referred to...
-1779842101.webp)
