CPN-UML chairman KP Sharma Oli and senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal held a meeting Wednesday afternoon. The leaders sat for talks for the first time today after April 22 to resolve the disputes that has been widening in the party.
While PM Oli is leading a faction, Nepal is leading the rival faction in the ruling CPN-UML. Bhim Rawal, a taskforce member close to leader Nepal, and a participant of the meeting, said that both the leaders were positive to maintain party unity.
According to him, chairman Oli and leader Nepal will again sit for talks after the meeting of the task force on Thursday. “There have been discussions on how to push the party unity forward and bring positive outcomes,” said Rawal.
“We have been realising that there is a need of serious talks to sort out the problems seen in the party. The taskforce will again sit for talk tomorrow,” he added. Leader Surendra Pandey also said the meeting ended in a positive note.
Besides chairman Oli and leader Nepal, leaders Rawal, Pandey, party General Secretary Ishwar Pokhrel and Bishnu Paudel were present in the meeting held at a Nagpokhari-based hotel. Earlier today, the CPN-UML taskforce formed to resolve the intra-party rift sat for talks for the third consecutive day.
Taskforce members after the meeting claimed that they were close to resolve all differences in the party. Talking to the media after the meeting held at Singha Durbar, party spokesperson and a taskforce member Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said they were close to forging a consensus.
“Today’s meeting headed towards a positive direction. Efforts are being made to resolve all disputes by Thursday,” said Gyawali, who is close to party chairman and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
“Leaders of both sides are now trying to understand each other’s feelings,” he added. Gyawali said he was confident that the ongoing discussion would reach a conclusion by tomorrow.
Gokarna Bista, another taskforce member close to leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, said that both sides were close to reach a consensus on multiple fronts.
“In a short period of time, we have gained confidence that we can resolve the differences and keep the party united,” he said.
“The taskforce is close to forge consensus to resurrect the party as it was on May 16, 2018, as per the court decision, deciding the number of party Central Committee members and on the management of the former Maoist leaders, who have joined the UML and on the court issue,” Bista said. The taskforce has worked to narrow down the gap of mistrust, he added.
The taskforce was formed in May this year to suggest ways to prepare the modality to forge consensus and resurrect the party as it was on May 16, 2018, before the unification of CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre).
Chairman Oli and Nepal on Monday decided to revive the taskforce, in the wake of an escalating intra-party rift, which pushed the party on the verge of the split.
Since then, the taskforce has been holding a series of dialogues to resolve the ongoing differences between the party top brass and to keep the party unity intact.
Senior leaders Subash Nembang and Bhim Rawal are leading the taskforce, which comprises Bishnu Paudel, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Shankar Pokharel and Bishnu Rimal from party chairman Oli’s side and Ganshyam Bhusal, Gokarna Bista, Surendra Pandey and Raghuji Panta from the side of senior leader Nepal.
Source : TRN,
