KATHMANDU, March 12: Although CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal is the official head of the talks team formed by the party for holding negotiations with other parties on formation of new government, he has remained completely aloof from the ongoing dialogues for the past few weeks.
Nepal, who remained very active in such talks in the past, has detached himself from inter-party negotiations on formation of new government ever since top leaders from the major political parties decided to form election government under the leadership of sitting chief justice.[break]
As the CPN-UML held discussions over the ruling UCPN (Maoist)´s proposal to form CJ-led election government in the first week of February, the party´s top leaders faced strong criticism from the majority of the central committee for entertaining the Maoist proposal.
Although the central committee strongly objected to the proposal and the party leadership remains divided, majority members in the standing committee have supported the idea of CJ-led government.
Nepal, who was touring France when the party took the decision, expressed his strong opposition to the decision immediately upon landing in Kathmandu. He not only criticized the leaders in public but also demanded that a standing committee meeting be held immediately to discuss the issue.
Though the standing committee meeting was convened a few days after Nepal´s arrival, the dissidents couldn´t change the decision as majority members insisted on taking the ongoing process to a logical conclusion. While Chairman Khanal along with other leaders including KP Sharma Oli, Bamdev Gautam, Bidya Bhandari and Bishnu Paudel stood for CJ-led government, other members in the standing committee -- Nepal, General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel, Secretaries Shankar Pokharel and Yubaraj Gyawali -- opposed the decision.
Not only Nepal, but also party general secretary Pokharel and other dissident leaders have stayed away from the inter-party talks for the past few weeks.
Central Committee member Jagannath Khatiwada said that Nepal felt betrayed by party colleagues because a few weeks before he left for France, his proposal to seek an alternative to Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala´s candidacy was strongly objected at party meeting. "He had proposed forming an election government under the leadership of a small political party or other neutral political leader," Khatiwada told Republica. "But later in his absence the same leaders decided to form CJ-led government even though his [Nepal´s] proposal was much better."
Another leader argued that Nepal hasn´t joined inter-party talks because he went too far while criticizing the party leaders´ for taking the decision.
Intra-party equations took surprising turn
The proposal to form CJ-led government has created unexpected scenario in the intra-party equations within the UML. The issue brought rival Khanal and Oli together to one camp while Nepal and General Secretary Pokharel have been pushed to another camp.
Nepal´s trusted loyal Bhim Rawal and Raghuji Pant now support CJ-led government while KP Sharma Oli´s faithful Shankar Pokharel and Khanal´s confidant Yubaraj Gyawali has join the Nepal-Ishwar camp on the issue.
Will Khanal-Oli alliance last long?
Last year, Nepal and Ishwar Pokharel smelt a rat when Khanal and Oli agreed to forget their years-long rivalry and reached a deal to elevate Oli to the third position in the party hierarchy after Khanal and Nepal. Before this, Nepal and Oli were one against the Khanal camp. Nepal-Ishwar camp then termed the Khanal-Oli alliance as unholy. With the party´s general convention slated for next year, these UML camps, which number around half-a-dozen, are fearful of any two or more camps forming alliances as such a move could make a difference in electing a new leadership in the party.But interestingly, no faction trusts each other at present.
While Khanal and Oli were shaking hands in Kathmandu last month after agreeing on the proposal to form a CJ-led government, their cadres at the general convention of the Youth Association Nepal in Butwal were engaged in a bitter quarrel.
While there was a fierce competition between Khanal-backed candidate Neeraj Acharya and Oli-supported Mahesh Basnet, Oli and Nepal reached a deal and Nepal´s candidate Jhapat Rawal withdrew his candidacy and supported Basnet. Finally, defeating Khanal´s candidate, Oli´s confidant Basnet was re-elected as chief of the party´s youth wing.
But, just the opposite was witnessed at the general convention of Press Chautari, organization of UML-affiliated journalists, in Biratnagar Saturday. Here, Oli camp reportedly received support from Khanal camp and defeated Nepal´s candidate Bishnu Rijal with a huge margin to elect Oli´s man Rajendra Aryal as the president of the organization.
"Leaders are already making their moves keeping in mind party general convention next year, but it is too early to predict future scenario," said a second-rung leader preferring anonymity.
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