The meeting between CPN-UML Chairman KP Oli and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal that was to be held today for meaningful talks about unification has become uncertain.
Dahal's Secretariat said the meeting will not be held today as Oli, who has been unwell for the past few days, has yet to full recover. "Time for the meeting has yet to be decided. It will not be held today in all likelihood," a member of Dahal's Secretariat said. Oli's Secretariat has also confirmed that the meeting set for today has yet to be decided.
Oli has been suffering from diarrhea for the past few days. He has not appeared in any public program since Sunday. His health has improved since Tuesday evening but he has yet to make full recovery.
Dahal on Tuesday assured fellow leaders in the headquarters meeting that he will demand leadership of either the government or the united party during the discussion with Oli. “If they lead the government, we will lead the party and vice versa. It is a 50-50 concept,” Maoist leader Mani Thapa quoted Dahal as saying in the meeting.
Dahal said the discussion has not yet been completed and he wants to fast track the unification process. He told the leaders that discussion with Oli has not been held as Oli is unwell. “Dahal told us that he will first talk clearly with Oli on the issue of sharing leadership of government and party, and then it will be discussed in the coordination committee for unification,” Maoist leader Devendra Paudel told Setopati.
Maoist Center has been demanding that the party should get to lead either the government or united party. But some UML leaders have been saying that doing so may create two different power centers in the party, and arguing that a single individual should hold both the parties.
Dahal told the leaders there will not be any ideological problems in unification. “The current political problems can be resolved on the basis of election manifesto,” Thapa quoted Dahal as saying. “We can discuss ideological issues later. We can discuss whether to call it Marxism-Maoism or People’s Multi-Party Democracy later.”
