CPN-UML Bagmati Province Leaders Demand Party Restructuring
Kathmandu. The majority of CPN-UML Bagmati Province leaders-workers have stood in favor of party restructuring and reorganization, making the restructuring proponents excited.
The message from Bagmati will also be conveyed to other provinces, as CPN-UML is preparing to hold similar gatherings and collect suggestions in all provinces after Bagmati. This is leading even the leaders themselves to admit that internal conflicts within UML will escalate, potentially leading to a split in the party.
A hint of this has already been given by the party chairman KP Sharma Oli himself on Saturday during a dialogue with some leaders in Gundu.
At the Bagmati Province-level gathering held in Jadibuti, Kathmandu on Saturday for election review and the restructuring task force, 80 percent of the participating leaders-workers concluded that the party cannot move forward in its current state and demanded leadership change and party restructuring.
"The party cannot move forward in its current state and under this leadership. The essence of the opinion of 80 percent of the leaders was that party restructuring and reorganization are necessary," a provincial leader told Ratopati.
Anand Pokharel, one of the leaders, warned that neither those in favor of renaissance nor those against it can achieve any kind of renaissance by weakening UML or pushing it towards a split.
Emphasizing that the ideological struggle within the party should be kept within the organization and advanced through democratic processes with the strength of the cadres, Pokharel stated that the goal of renaissance is to revive the party, not to break it.
Suggesting that the leadership should abandon the tendency to treat criticism as enmity, Pokharel said, "The leadership should abandon the tendency to treat criticism as enmity. Issues raised within the party should be resolved through dialogue, not suppression." Quoting Pokharel's statement at the gathering, a source said, "History shows that organizations where debates are suppressed have ultimately weakened, while organizations that institutionalize debates have survived for a long time."
Since the election on February 21, there has been pressure on Oli to step down from leadership within UML. However, Oli does not agree. Instead, he is misleading his close leaders-workers, warning them that leaders in favor of party restructuring could split the party according to the plans and conspiracies of the opposition.
"If UML is to remain the leading communist force in Nepal in the future, the voices of renaissance raised within the party must be heard," says a CPN-UML official. "The chairman should understand this as a request for reform, not as a division."
- Paudel-Pokharel Excited, Oli Angry!
Upon learning that the leaders in the Bagmati Province gathering had stood against him, Chairman KP Sharma Oli immediately summoned some provincial leaders to his private residence in Gundu on Saturday evening for a discussion. In that discussion, Oli not only labeled the leaders in favor of restructuring as "greedy" and "sinful" but also expressed his anger towards them. He also challenged them in a warning tone, asking how they would remove him through which process and who would lead, stating that he had made no mistakes.
"After hearing the conclusion of the Bagmati gathering, Chairman Oli presented himself in an angry mood," said a leader who went to Gundu on Saturday evening. "Did I alone trample on the rules and procedures? Didn't you (Bishnu, Shankar, and PS) deify them?" was Oli's question.
While Oli, who realized the growing sentiment against him, was angry, leaders including Vice-Chairman Paudel and General Secretary Pokharel appeared excited.
As a sign of this, Vice-Chairman Paudel wrote on social media on Saturday night, "Today, the election review and suggestion collection program regarding party restructuring organized by the CPN (UML), Bagmati Province Organization Committee, was grandly held in Jadibuti, Kathmandu. Heartfelt thanks to all the comrades who participated in the discussion and presented their views and analyses powerfully."
Not only that, Paudel expressed expectations that the party would be able to fulfill the responsibility of party restructuring by conducting an objective review of the election. "Certainly, as our comrades expect, we will be able to conduct an objective review of the general election-2082 and fulfill the responsibility of party restructuring in a way that restores the lost public mandate and prestige of CPN (UML)," said Paudel.
Not only Vice-Chairman Paudel, but General Secretary Shankar Pokharel also supported Paudel's sentiment and criticized Chairman Oli's statement, asserting that expressions contrary to public sentiment would not protect the party.
"Expressions contrary to public sentiment will not protect the party. Let us respect public sentiment and strengthen public relations, because the people are the creators of history," General Secretary Pokharel wrote on Facebook on Sunday morning. CPN-UML leaders-workers interpret Pokharel's statement as meaning that Chairman Oli is engrossed in making statements contrary to the general leaders-workers and public sentiment of the party. Although Paudel and Pokharel have stood as Oli's shield for a long time, they have openly supported party restructuring after the election.
As opinions are being expressed for and against party restructuring within UML, another UML leader Dr. Vijay Subba has raised a question to both sides, asking, "Are we ultimately going to destroy UML?"
"When serious self-reflection and leadership restructuring need to be discussed, starting with who is on which side, are we ultimately going to destroy UML?" Leader Subba raised a serious question.
This specific news has been automatically translated by AI. As a result, there may be some inaccuracies or language errors.
