Kathmandu, Nepal, November 3, 2020: The never ending rift within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has left no sign to end at anytime soon, thanks to the respective stands among the rival factions of the party. As Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has refused to relent despite pressure from the party even to call the secretariat meeting, no outlet is seen to end the chaos of the party and the nation as well.
Though the backdoor attempts are underway to end the internal rift of the NCP, there is no sign of consensus to save the party from the possible vertical split. As Prime Minister Oli has challenged the dissident leaders that he will take big action if any decision is taken against him, the leaders and cadres of the party seem to have lost their hopes that the party would remain intact for long.
The dissident leaders have been exerting pressure Oli for the secretariat meeting to take decision over his unilateral moves despite agreeing to take decisions on the basis of consultation and consensus. But he has been refusing so claiming that no meeting is required until and unless the top leaders settle the differences.
Referring to the Oli’s statement during a meeting with executive chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Sunday that the party should rather split, the dissident leaders have reached on the conclusion that Oli would have spoken his mind to split the party. Following the recent developments, the leaders from both the sides have outspoken that a serious crisis has emerged before the unified and integrated existence of the party.
The NCP was born merging Oli led CPN-UML and Dahal led CPN (Maoist Centre) with the motive to win the elections in 2018. However, rift had started to surface in the party about a year and a half after the unification announcement.
Since both the parties came from two different schools of thought and mindset of the leadership, there were concerns even among the party members that the unity would not remain intact for long.
Three factions divided into the leadership of Oli, Dahal and Madhav Nepal can have strength only if any of the two come closer. Presently, the factions led by Dahal and Nepal are together to sideline Oli.
Oli, hwoever, has not afraid even though he falls in minority in every committee of the party and the parliamentary party if Dahal and Nepal camp come closer and can oust him from both as the prime minister and the party chair.
It is said that the Dahal led dissident faction has been wooing the Nepal led faction to register a no-confidence motion by proroguing the parliament to oust Oli from the post of Prime Minister even if denied to call a secretariat meeting.
As the House is in recess, a special session has to be demanded before the President by filing a petition from one fourth of the members of the House of Representatives.
The government had on July 2 recommended to the President the prorogation of the House session amid intense pressure on Oli from rival factions to resign both as prime minister and party chair.
President Bhandari had swiftly approved the recommendation made from the cabinet even though dozens of bills were pending.
Parliament has to be called before coming January 2 as Article 93 of the constitution has made a provision that the interval between two House sessions shall not exceed six months.
