KATHMANDU, Nov 20: Bishnu Poudel, the general secretary of Nepal Communist Party (NCP), has urged the party’s Executive Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to withdraw his political document and present a joint document prepared by both Oli and Dahal at the party's next Secretariat meeting which has been scheduled for November 28.

During his meeting with Executive Chairperson Dahal at the party headquarters in Dhumbarahi on Friday, Poudel urged Dahal to withdraw the political document that the latter tabled at the party's Secretariat meeting earlier last week. 

In his 19-page political document, Dahal had accused the prime minister of failing in his responsibilities. He also urged Oli to make sacrifices and accept his mistakes for keeping the party unity intact, constitution and the federal democratic republican set-up.  

While accusing Prime Minister Oli of failing to deliver on his election promises, Dahal also came heavily against Oli for the government’s failure to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dahal also wrote a five-page letter to PM Oli asking him indirectly to step down.  In response, Oli sent a 10-page letter to Dahal asking him not to harbor factionalism in the party. He also defended the government.  

Poudel’s meeting with Dahal comes at a time when the intraparty rift in the ruling party is at its peak due to factional feuds.

Talking to Republica, Poudel said that he suggested to Dahal to withdraw his political document and present a joint document prepared by both Oli and Dahal at the party's next Secretariat meeting.

"Let's keep the party unity intact so that it will fulfill the aspirations of party cadres and well-wishers at this critical point of time. Let's save the party," Poudel told Dahal.

However, Dahal remained non-committal to Poudel's proposal.

The ruling party is badly marred by the rift between the rival factions led by Oli and Dahal who are accusing each other for making plots to split the party.

Miffed with Dahal for ‘demonizing’ his government and his personal handling of the party, Oli said earlier this week that he will present a separate political document at the party's upcoming Secretariat meeting. Oli also rejected the allegations made by Dahal over a host of issues including the government's performance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Giving a new twist to the intraparty conflict, Oli told the members of his party Secretariat that Executive Chairman Dahal should resign from his position if the allegations he has made against Oli in a political paper presented at the Secretariat meeting are proved wrong.

On Wednesday, the ruling party Secretariat decided to hold its next meeting on November 28.

Two rival factions in the party  one led by Oli and the other by Dahal - are at loggerheads over a host of issues including the controversy that surfaced in the party following the whirlwind visit of Samant Goel, the chief of Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), that took place last month. 

 
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