ILAM, August 21: The split in the main opposition CPN-UML has led the party’s lawmakers and members to side with the faction they support. However, the lawmakers and members who were critics of the party’s chairperson KP Sharma Oli are now holding discussions after senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal took initiatives to register a new party. It is still not clear who they will support.
Though some leaders are against Oli, they are not very fond of Nepal, either. However, they are close to former prime minister Jhalanath Khanal, who is also a local resident of Ilam district. Many leaders have started to approach Khanal for discussions after the CPN-UML dispute erupted. Khanal has already announced his support to the Nepal-led CPN (United Socialist), stating that there was no alternative to reorganizing the party.
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Also, many leaders are against the party split and have decided to stay with the Oli-led CPN-UML and continue their efforts for unity though they are not said to be very fond of Oli. According to Bhakta KC, vice-president of the party’s Ilam district committee, the split in the party is not the only solution. “Oli is the main reason behind the party split. He must change. Second rung leaders are trying to halt the party split and I wish them success,” he said.
Similarly, Khinu Langwa, a UML provincial assembly member of Province 1, and a supporter of Khanal said that he is not ready to announce his side. “There is still little time for Oli to correct his decisions and continue the party’s unity,” he said. He said that the party’s unity is more important than the split.
Similarly, leaders close to Khanal such as Ran Bahadur Rai, mayor of Suryodaya Municipality and Udaybahadur Rai, chairperson of Sandakpur rural Municipality among others have not announced their support to Madhav Nepal’s decision to form a new party. Despite their differences with KP Sharma Oli in the past, they demand both sides to remain united and withdraw the decision regarding the formation of a new party.
