CPN secretariat members from the erstwhile CPN-UML are meeting to finalize the faction's strategy for the full secretariat meeting called for later Monday.
"The dispute about school department should not be extended further," a secretariat member from former UML told Setopati ahead of the meeting at Baluwatar. "We will first discuss which alternative will be appropriate and will present ourselves accordingly in the secretariat meeting later today.
The ruling CPN is struggling to decide who should get to lead the school department of the party.
The secretariat meeting called for Sunday was scheduled to decide on leadership of the department but it was postponed after Prime Minister (PM) and Chairman KP Sharma Oli called in sick. But PM Oli is understood to have postponed the meeting after failing to reach agreement with Dahal about head of the school department.
The leaders have already agreed on heads of 32 out of the 33 party departments but they have yet to decide whether the school department should be headed by leaders from erstwhile CPN-UML or CPN (Maoist Center).
Secretariat meeting was postponed twice earlier after two chairmen failed to agree on leadership of the department.
Oli is adamant that secretariat member Ishwore Pokharel should lead the school department while Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal insists that another secretariat member Narayan Kaji Shrestha should get the department.
Former Maoist leaders vehemently oppose appointment of Pokharel saying a person who has been lobbying to make people's multiparty democracy the united party's guiding principle should not be made chief of the school department but former UML leaders are not unanimous on Pokharel.
Senior leader Jhala Nath Khanal, who is also a member of the nine-strong secretariat, has already stated that he will accept the responsibility if the party decides to hand over the department to him despite already agreeing to head the policy and academy department.
There were separate meetings between the two chairmen, the former UML leaders and the former Maoist leaders in the past week to discuss about the school department.
The leaders are trying to forge consensus on either Pokharel or Shrestha. The party may look for another leader from the secretariat to head the department or keep it with the chairmen if they fail to do so.
A secretariat source claimed with Setopati that there is very little chance of the department leadership going to leaders outside the secretariat.
Oli was head of the department in erstwhile UML and Shrestha in the Maoist Center.
