Kathmandu, 13 Oct: During the 58th central secretariat meeting of the CPN-UML that started on Friday, Chairman KP Sharma Oli stated that there was no reason for him to resign from his post. Responding to questions raised by secretariat members, Oli firmly declared that he saw no grounds for stepping down or making way for others.
Quoting Oli, an official reported him saying, “What detrimental work have I done for the country? What have I spoiled? Have I done corruption? Why should I resign, on what basis should I resign?” He concluded the secretariat meeting by affirming that he would not resign and that the party was moving forward towards its national convention.
Leadership Demand and Defense Within Party
According to officials, Vice Presidents Surendra Pandey, Yubaraj Gyawali, and Ashtalaxmi Shakya were vocal in demanding Oli’s resignation during this secretariat meeting. They had raised this demand in Friday’s meeting itself. Conversely, Vice President Guru Baral defended Oli, arguing that attacks should not be made against the leadership when the party and its movement are facing widespread assaults. Senior Vice President Ishwar Pokharel, Vice President Bishnu Paudel, and Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’ were in favor of party reorganization. General Secretary Shankar Pokharel and Pradeep Gyawali also spoke in defense of Chairman Oli, with an official stating their view was that the leadership should not be weakened during attacks on the party and its movement.
Mixed Opinions on Reorganization and Social Media Ban
On Sunday, Deputy General Secretary Prithvisubba Gurung expressed the view that the party should proceed to the national convention soon for reorganization. He did not delve deeply into the leadership issue but argued that the decision to ban social media was not correct. An official quoted him questioning, “Why was the decision to ban social media taken?” He indicated that youth were angered by the social media ban, leading to a situation getting out of control.
In today’s meeting, Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai expressed support for party reorganization. He suggested that Oli should pave the way, proposing that he become the ‘Leader of National Reconciliation’. Quoting Bhattarai, a leader said, “There is a situation of mismatch seen in society. In a diverse society like ours, there is a need for a leader who can bind everyone in a thread of unity.” He cited Oli’s established standards in areas like national sentiment development and infrastructure building, suggesting he should maintain that by becoming the ‘Leader of Reconciliation’. However, he also raised concerns about factionalism increasing in the party in the chairman’s name and actions that divide party ranks, questioning why such things, including insulting vice presidents and party leaders, were happening.
Secretary Gokarna Bista also supported the reorganization of the leadership along with the party and suggested paving the way, an official said. Secretaries Padma Aryal, Raghubir Mahaseth, and Lekhraj Bhatta held the view that the question of party reorganization should be settled through the national convention.
11th National Convention Scheduled for Mangsir
The secretariat meeting decided to hold the party’s 11th national convention in the last week of the Nepali month of Mangsir. According to Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Gyawali, the date and venue for the national convention will be decided by the central committee meeting, which is scheduled for Ashoj 29, 30, and 31.
The 10th national convention of the UML was held in Chitwan from Mangsir 10 to 14, 2078 BS. While the current central committee’s term is for five years, the UML is preparing to hold the national convention a year early. The party has already concluded its second statute national convention to finalize policies and statutes, which was held in Godavari, Lalitpur from Bhadau 20 to 22. The upcoming 11th national convention will be a leadership convention, electing new leadership for the next five years.
