CPN-UML Chairman Oli Intervenes in Sudurpaschim Province Dispute

Dhangadhi. As the dispute within the CPN-UML Sudurpaschim Province parliamentary party intensifies, party chairman KP Sharma Oli has increased his efforts for a solution. Chairman Oli has summoned the CPN-UML provincial assembly members of Sudurpaschim to Kathmandu to resolve the internal conflict arising over the leadership of the parliamentary party.

A decisive discussion between Chairman Oli and the provincial assembly members of Sudurpaschim is scheduled for Wednesday in Gundu, Bhaktapur. All eleven lawmakers, including the parliamentary party leader and former Chief Minister Rajendra Singh Rawal, have arrived in Kathmandu for the discussion. Although the meeting was scheduled for 11 AM, one lawmaker informed that the time might be adjusted slightly.

For a long time, the party's lawmakers have expressed dissatisfaction with the working style of Rajendra Singh Rawal, the leader of the CPN-UML parliamentary party in the Sudurpaschim Province Assembly. Since the announcement of the election results, a group of lawmakers has been demanding the removal of Rawal and the selection of a new leader. They are preparing to present their stance to Chairman Oli that if a leadership change is not possible through consensus, they should be allowed to elect a new leader through a democratic process.

It is understood that the meeting will involve not only discussions on the issue of the parliamentary party leader but also serious deliberations on the future of the provincial government and new power equations. Currently, the Sudurpaschim has a coalition government led by Kamal Bahadur Shah of the Nepali Congress, including the CPN-UML. Recently, dissatisfaction with the cooperation with the Nepali Congress within the CPN-UML has been growing.

According to CPN-UML sources, discussions are also underway at the central level regarding breaking the partnership with the Nepali Congress and forming a power equation with the Communist Party of Nepal (formerly Maoist Center, Unified Socialist, and other parties). The CPN-UML has 11 lawmakers in the Sudurpaschim Province Assembly, and the CPN has 22 lawmakers. One of the 22 CPN lawmakers is suspended. If an agreement is reached between the CPN-UML and the CPN, it appears that the necessary majority for forming a new government will be achieved.

Hira Sarki, the Minister for Internal Affairs and Law of the Provincial Government and a CPN-UML leader, confirmed that discussions are being held on the issue of the parliamentary party leader, but stated that no concrete decision has been made regarding a government change yet. 'We are currently in the government and working. We will abide by whatever decision the center makes,' he said. He added that he has no information about the breakdown of the government cooperation.