KATHMANDU, July 2: At a time when the intra-party row in the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) is at its peak due to factional feud over a host of issues including the performance of the KP Oli-led government, executive chairman of the party, Pushpa Kamal Dahal held a meeting with President Bidya Devi Bhandari at Sheetal Niwas, the President’s Office on Thursday.
Dahal reached the President’s Office at around 2:45 pm. He returned to the PM's Official Residence in Baluwatar a while ago. However, the details about the meeting are as yet to be known.
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President Bhandari, who is also a former leader of the NCP is said to have enquired about the latest rift within the ruling party.
Earlier this afternoon, President Bhandari prorogued the budget session of parliament at the recommendation of the cabinet. Prior to this, a cabinet meeting recommended to the president to prorogue the sessions of both lower and upper houses.
According to Ramsharan Bajgain, the prime minister’s media aide, the prime minister held separate consultations with NCP Chairperson Dahal and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba earlier today with regard to proroguing the budget session of parliament. Just ahead of the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Oli met President Bhandari.
Meanwhile, a Standing Committee meeting of the NCP, which took place briefly today, has been put off until Friday as the top brass of the NCP failed to forge consensus on the resignation of PM Oli. Executive Chairperson Dahal, senior leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam are seeking PM Oli’s resignation while Oli and leaders close to him are trying to ease tensions between Oli and Dahal and also want the government and party to remain intact despite intra-party infighting.
