Karnali Government Faces Uncertainty Amidst Party Standoff

Surkhet. Although preparations for a provincial government power equation between the Nepali Communist Party and CPN-UML are underway at the center, it appears that it will not be implemented in Karnali.

Leaders of the Communist Party say that ethically, they must maintain their stance as a no-confidence motion has already been registered against Chief Minister Yamlal Kandel, who is also the leader of the UML parliamentary party, with the coordination of the party center.

The Communist Party's parliamentary party and provincial party committee are seen to be standing against Kandel. CPN Province Committee Chairman Bimala KC said that it is impossible to cooperate with UML in Karnali on ethical grounds.

‘In normal circumstances, the matter from above is not relevant. Our province's parliamentary party and the party itself, using their autonomy, had previously registered a no-confidence motion against the Chief Minister,’ she said. ‘We do not see its justification as having ended. What we did, we did with justification. We did it in the context of this place. Therefore, our view is that what we did is correct.’

KC also stated that after taking a step, it is appropriate to ensure its success. ‘We want to get our autonomy,’ KC said. ‘As far as the issue of communist unity is concerned, we have not opposed it. Communists should be united, that cannot be opposed.’ However, she said that KP Oli and UML must reach an agreement with the Communist Party in a visible and tangible way.

She believes that cooperation with UML should only happen if such a situation arises. ‘So far, there is no progress at all, it's just a matter of delaying tactics, and Oli's arrogance and pride remain the same. How can we move forward in such a situation? We need to work to break the status quo,’ she said.

Therefore, KC claims that the Communist Party's stance in Karnali will remain. ‘This is also a matter of ethics. We have already registered a no-confidence motion in a certain way,’ she added. ‘Another thing is, the Chief Minister has not shown any interest in cooperating with the Communist Party in the province. The behavior has not reflected that the Communist Party also has an existence.’

KC states that the Communist Party made the right decision in context due to Chief Minister Kandel's arrogance. She also said that backing down from that decision would not be good. ‘That is our conclusion, we have not received any information to that effect,’ she said. ‘The Provincial Party and the Parliamentary Party are both clear and united on the previous line. The decision we made in our context is correct.’

Accordingly, the meeting of the Communist Party's parliamentary party held on Thursday morning also decided to vote in favor of the no-confidence motion registered against Chief Minister Yamlal Kandel.

CPN Parliamentary Party Chief Whip Krishna Bahadur GC said that the decision to vote in favor of the no-confidence motion registered against the Chief Minister has been made according to the previous line. ‘We have already registered a letter stating that we do not have confidence in him,’ he said. ‘There will be no other decision.’

Last Thursday, the Congress and the Communist Party jointly registered a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Kandel. Earlier, the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting held on Wednesday had also decided to vote in favor of the no-confidence motion against the Chief Minister.

‘We made this decision in cooperation with the Communist Party,’ said Congress Parliamentary Party Chief Whip Hikmat Bisht. ‘The Communist Party must be ready, we are ready.’

If the Communist Party maintains its previous stance, Chief Minister Kandel is certain to lose power. A minimum of 20 seats are required to form a government in the 40-member Karnali Provincial Assembly. The Communist Party has 14 seats and the Nepali Congress has 15 seats in the Provincial Assembly.

However, UML is still awaiting a decision from the center. ‘A decision will come from above today,’ said government spokesperson Vinod Kumar Shah. The key issue is whether the Communist Party Karnali will implement the decision from the center. Former Finance Minister and CPN leader Bindaman Bishwakarma believes that based on the activities so far, the possibility of a separate decision from the center for Karnali is slim.

The parliament meeting has been called for 3 PM today, Thursday. However, Provincial Assembly Information Officer Rajendra Poudel stated that a meeting of the Business Committee is currently underway to set the agenda. If the issue of the no-confidence motion registered against Chief Minister Kandel in the Provincial Assembly is included in the agenda, the matter will be resolved today.

Political developments that even influence the center have occurred in Karnali before. Karnali was also the place where the then CPN split, and due to that, UML itself was divided into two. Therefore, some have also assessed that the Communist Party Karnali may rebel against the party center's line.

However, no official directive has been received from the center so far.