Oli hell bent on breaking Nepal Communist Party: Prachanda

Kathmandu, July 25: Nepal's ruling communist party co-chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda on Friday said Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli was adamant in splitting the party, amidst serious differences between them on a power-sharing deal.

His statement came days after the much-awaited Standing Committee meeting of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) failed to sort out the differences between Oli and the rival faction led by former premier Prachanda.

Addressing a function here, Prachanda alleged that a group of people has registered the CPN-UML at the Election Commission (EC) at the behest of the ruling NCP's another chairman and Prime Minister Oli, My Republica newspaper reported.

The former prime minister, who is demanding a new power-sharing deal with Oli, hinted that the NCP was in a crisis as a result of Oli's behaviour.

"Our party is in a crisis as the CPN-UML party was registered at the Election Commission at the initiative of the party's other chairman even as our meeting was underway," Prachanda said.

He accused Prime Minister Oli of being adamant on splitting the NCP.

Oli and Prachanda have held at least eight meetings in recent weeks to sort out the differences between them. But, as the Prime Minister did not accept the condition of a one-man-one-post, the talks failed. Oli has refused to give up his post as prime minister as well as a co-chairman of the NCP.

Prachanda also accused Oli of encouraging students and party cadres to stage demonstrations in his favour across the country.

"We have been holding discussions within the party. But there have been demonstrations across the country," he said.

An application was filed with the EC for the registration of a party named CPN-UML on July 1.

The party was registered under the leadership of one Sandhya Tiwari of Jhapa as the intra-party dispute within the ruling NCP was at its peak.

Top NCP leaders, including Prachanda, have been demanding Oli's resignation, saying his recent anti-India remarks were "neither politically correct nor diplomatically appropriate."

They are also against Oli's autocratic style of functioning.

The differences grew further after Oli said that some of the ruling party leaders are aligning with the southern neighbour to remove him from power after his government issued a new political map incorporating three Indian territories of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura.

The Prachanda-Nepal faction rejected Oli's allegations, saying it is they who have asked for resignation, not India.

Prachanda has said that he will not allow the party to split and any attempt from anywhere to weaken its unity would hurt the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters.

The next meeting of the 45-member Standing Committee is now scheduled to be held on July 28 to resolve the differences between Oli and Prachanda.