UML task force to finalize deal today

KATHMANDU, July 10: The 10-member task force formed by the ruling party CPN-UML to resolve the disputed issues in the party has neared consensus

The leaders claimed that they agreed on keeping party unity intact. 

An eight-hour meeting, which was held at Singha Durbar on Friday, reached agreement on the disputed issues, according to Pradeep Gyawali, a member of the task force. “A draft of the agreement will be drafted on Saturday,” he said. 

“The taskforce prepared the draft for the consensus on those contentious issues, which will be made public on Saturday after considering some word correction in the draft.

“I’d like to assure all those who are highly concerned about the future of UML that the party will remain united.

“"Today's meeting has laid the foundation for party unity. Tomorrow's meeting will finalize it. You will also find out tomorrow how we reached the consensus.”

CPN (UML) Chairperson KP Sharma Oli and senior party leader Madhav Kumar Nepal had agreed to form the taskforce to find out ways and means to hammer out the differences between the two factions --- one led by Oli and the other by Nepal. 

Disputes had flared up in the party following the dissolution of the House of Representatives on May 22 for the second time. 

Party Chairperson and Prime Minister Oli issued an ultimatum to those 23 UML parliamentarians who were ousted from their party to rescind their signature (support) on the document proposing appointment of Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba as the next Prime Minister. 

Meanwhile, disgruntled leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has been pressing for running the party in the modality prior to its merger with the CPN (Maoist Centre) in 2018.

The taskforce members include party leaders, Subas Chandra Nembang, Bishnu Prasad Poudel, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Shankar Pokharel and Bishnu Prasad Rimal from the side of Prime Minister and party chair Oli and Dr Bhim Bahadur Rawal, Ghanashyam Bhusal, Surendra Prasad Pandey, Gokarna Raj Bista and Raghuji Pant from party leader Nepal camp.