KATHMANDU, Oct 21: Right after Dashain, the ordinance related to party splitting has started gaining attention. The discussion around the ordinance intensified after the arrest of former deputy prime minister and home minister Rabi Lamichhane.
After the Kaski District Court granted six days to investigate Rabi Lamichhane from the date of his arrest, there has been speculation that the government's focus is on issuing an ordinance related to party division.
The issue gained further attention after a meeting between Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar on Sunday evening.
Although it has been reported that there was an agreement to introduce an ordinance related to party division during the meeting, there has been no independent confirmation of this from any source.
RSP to stage demonstrations in Pokhara today as well, urges wor...
"The meeting between the leaders of the two parties running the government should not be taken otherwise; they might have discussed future strategies. There is a possibility that the upcoming Cabinet meeting will make some new decisions," said an official from the CPN-UML.
According to sources, there is speculation that an ordinance related to party division may be introduced, considering the situation after the arrest of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane. A Cabinet meeting is also scheduled to take place this evening for that purpose.
Although a source at the Prime Minister's Office said that a meeting would be held at Singha Durbar at 5:15 PM, as of the time this report was prepared, the ministers had not yet received any notice. The source mentioned that, besides the regular agenda, the ordinance related to party division could also be part of the agenda. The Cabinet meeting, which usually takes place on Mondays, is considered a regular one.
Section 33(3) of the Political Parties Act, 2073 BS states that a new party formed by at least 40 percent of the members of the central committee and parliamentary party of the federal parliament cannot undergo division for five years from the date it is recognized by the Election Commission.
The legal provision allowing at least 40 percent of the members of the central committee and parliamentary party of any party in the federal parliament to form a new party was amended through an ordinance on August 18, 2021. The ordinance at that time included a provision allowing a new party to be formed with just 20 percent of members from either the central committee or the parliamentary party. Now, plans are afoot to bring an ordinance by amending both of these provisions.
"It has been indicated that the Cabinet meeting might take place today. However, there has been no SMS or notification received," said a minister.
Leaders from the Unified Socialist Party, the CPN (Maoist Center), and the Janata Samajwadi Party, Nepal, are also discussing the government's plan to introduce an ordinance regarding party division.
According to a leader from the Unified Socialist Party, Prime Minister Oli is in the final stages of preparing to introduce an ordinance related to political parties. Sources claim that the ordinance for party division is being brought to include leaders and lawmakers who are active in forming a new party by separating from the CPN (Unified Socialist).
Sources indicate that leaders from the CPN (Unified Socialist) are poised to join the UML and are in regular contact with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. It is claimed that CPN (Unified Socialist) lawmakers such as Kisan Shrestha, Prem Bahadur Ale, and Amar Thapa are preparing to split from their party and integrate into the CPN-UML. Sources also suggest that leaders like Ram Kumari Jhakri are seeking opportunities to enter the UML.
