The current rift in the UML is as much about the future as about the past. The Khanal faction feels that if the present government remains in power until a new constitution is written, it will embolden the faction led by Khadga Prasad Oli and, with the sympathy of Prime Minister Nepal, Oli could overthrow Khanal as party president in the next general convention. It´s partly for this reason that Khanal has been openly espousing the need for a national unity government though he hasn´t yet called openly for a change of guard at Singha Durbar. At the same time, the Oli faction also wants to use the opportunity provided by Nepal being in power and is aggressively pushing its sphere of influence within the party.
Rifts in political parties are detrimental to democratic stability in the country, more so during a transition when most institutions are in flux. Unfortunately, all our political parties suffer from such rifts-- the only difference being the degree of the rift. The Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which has so far managed to avert a vertical split, is blighted by the tug-of-war between the so called "hardliners" and the "pragmatists". The Nepali Congress, which is in a painful process of leadership transfer, has its own difficulties and intra-party differences. These are just beginning to play out. And the Madhesi parties remain as fractious as ever. We only hope and wish each of the parties hones the skill of managing intra-party discontents and remains united and strong.
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