KATHMANDU, Aug 2: Prime Minister K P Oli and Chairman of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Pushpa Kamal Dahal Dahal have agreed to hold another round of talks on Monday as almost three-hour long meeting on Sunday failed to resolve the differences between the two leaders.
The meeting between the two leaders that came six days after Prime Minister Oli, who also holds the portfolio of the party chairman, decided ‘unilaterally’ to put off the party’s Standing Committee meeting, dwelled on calling the party’s meeting and resolving the differences that have surfaced within the party.
“Talks are positive between the two leaders. There was discussion whether to summon the party's Secretariat, Standing Committee or the Central Committee meeting. The meeting also dwelled on holding the party’s unity general convention,” said Prime Minister Oli’s Press Adviser Surya Thapa. “The two leaders are yet to reach any consensus.”
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The Standing Committee meeting that was put off on July 28 has fallen uncertain as differences between the two top leaders continue to exist. Although over 150 Central Committee members have asked the party leadership to call the Central Committee meeting at the earliest, the two leaders are also odd whether to call the Central Committee (CC) meeting as demanded by the CC members.
Prime Minister was accompanied by his close confidante Subash Nembang, who has been working as a mediator to resolve the differences seen between Prime Minister Oli and Chairman Dahal after the latter sought resignation of Oli from both the posts of prime minister and the party’s chairman. Chairman Dahal had taken senior leader Jhala Nath Khanal along with him in the meeting.
The two leaders are scheduled to hold talks again on Monday to find a way out to the current stand-off. Party insiders said the two leaders have expedited discussions as per the proposal put forth earlier by the party’s Vice Chairman Bam Dev Gautam, who proposed allowing Oli to hold the post of prime minister until the remaining term of the House of Representatives (HoR) and act as Chairman along with Dahal until the party’s unity general convention is held.
Sources said Prime Minister Oli reiterated that he was not ready to resign from any of the two posts as demanded by the rival faction, while Chairman insisted that Oli must resign from one of the two posts to resolve the differences seen within the party. “Although there was no agreement, the meeting broke the silence between the two leaders that existed almost for a week. We are hopeful that some solution could be found in the next meeting,” said a leader close to Dahal, asking not to be named.
As there was a deadlock situation after the decision to put off the Standing Committee meeting on July 28, Chairman Dahal had called General Secretary Bishnu Paudel on Saturday to arrange a meeting with Prime Minister Oli for negotiation. Amid criticisms from various quarters that he was bargaining for power with Oli, Chairman Dahal on Saturday had claimed that his differences with Oli was not for power, but for institutionalizing system within the party.
