KP Sharma Oli and Prachanda Agree to Meet on Monday to Resolve Their Differences

Nepal’s embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and the ruling party’s executive chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda’ have agreed to hold another round of talks on Monday as nearly three-hour long meeting on Sunday failed to resolve their differences, a media report said.

“Talks are positive between the two leaders. There was discussion whether to summon the party’s Secretariat, Standing Committee or the Central Committee meeting. The meeting also dwelled on holding the party’s unity general convention,” the Prime Minister’s Press Adviser Surya Thapa was quoted as saying by My Republica.

“The two leaders are yet to reach any consensus,” Thapa said. The meeting between the two top leaders of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) came six days after Prime Minister Oli postponed the party’s Standing Committee meeting on July 28.

The Standing Committee meeting has fallen uncertain as differences between the two top leaders continue to exist, the paper said. During Sunday’s meeting, the prime minister was accompanied by his close confidante Subash Nembang, who has been working as a mediator to resolve the differences between Oli and Prachanda. Prachanda was accompanied by senior leader Jhala Nath Khanal.

The two leaders are scheduled to hold talks again on Monday to find a way out to the current stand-off, the paper said, citing sources. Quoting party insiders, it said the two leaders have held discussions as per the proposal put forth earlier by the party’s Vice Chairman Bam Dev Gautam.

Oli and Prachanda have held at least nine meetings in recent weeks to sort out the differences between them. But, as the Prime Minister did not accept the condition of a one-man-one-post, the talks failed. Oli has refused to give up his post as prime minister as well as a co-chairman of the NCP. “Although there was no agreement, the meeting broke the silence between the two leaders that existed almost for a week. We are hopeful that some solution could be found in the next meeting,” said a leader close to Prachanda.

Gautam had proposed that Oli be allowed to stay as prime minister for the remaining term of the House of Representatives (HoR), that is, two-and-a-half years, and chairman of the party until the unity general convention that Oli has proposed to hold by mid-December. Similarly, Prachanda should be given the responsibility as the party’s Chairman with all executive powers until the unity general convention of the NCP is held.

Gautam also proposed that Oli be allowed to run the government independently even though the Chairman will have all executive powers. He, however, proposed holding consultation in the party before taking any decisions on issues of national and international importance. A bitter internal feud has been brewing in the ruling NCP since the last few weeks after top party leaders, including Prachanda, demanded Oli’s resignation, saying his recent anti-India remarks were “neither politically correct nor diplomatically appropriate.” They are also against Oli’s autocratic style of functioning.

The differences grew further after Oli said that some of the ruling party leaders are aligning with the southern neighbour to remove him from power after his government issued a new political map incorporating three Indian territories of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura.