Kathmandu, Nepal, July 20, 2021: The internal conflict in the CPN-UML likely to escalate further even after the chairman KP Sharma Oli unseated from the post of Prime Minister as plan made by the dissident faction led by Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhala Nath Khanal.
The dissident faction has formulated a strategy even to overthrow Oli from the post of party chairman by taking into confidence the leaders aligned in the Oli led camp. The central committee of the party can take such decision through the majority votes.
For the purpose, 22 UML lawmakers, who had voted for Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba during vote of confidence on Sunday, have made a plan to file a contempt of court case against party chairman Oli for asking them clarifications.
The dissident faction has a belief that they would be able to buy time to make necessary preparations if the Supreme Court intervenes against possible actions of the party for voting in favor of Prime Minister Deuba.
While passing the verdict to reinstate the dissolve parliament and make appointment to Deuba as Prime Minister, the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court had clearly mentioned that party whip would not be applicable while exercising votes under the Article 76(5) of the constitution.
Even though Sunday’s voting on Deuba’s confidence motion has reached the UML into unraveling contestation, the party has been facing turmoil since some months over ranges of issues, including the personal as well as leadership tussle among the top leaders.
Party chairman Oli, General Secretary Ishwar Pokhrel and some leaders have already declared that possibility of consensus with the dissident faction has ended after Sunday’s voting on Deuba’s confidence motion. However, some so-called pragmatic leaders have still been attempting to find an amicable solution to keep the party intact.
It is said that senior leader Bam Dev Gautam, vice chairman Bhim Bahadur Rawal, Deputy parliamentary party leader Subash Nembang and many other second rung leaders have been exerting pressure to the party leadership not to be aggressive against the dissident faction.
