Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli is mulling withdrawal of the ordinances he brought on Monday following intense pressure within ruling CPN.
President Bidya Devi Bhandari is likely to revoke the ordinances Thursday itself using Article 114(1b) of the Constitution that allows the president to revoke an ordinance anytime, according to a source.
CPN Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal told Oli during the meeting of two chairmen Thursday morning that there is no alternative to withdrawing the ordinances. He also urged Oli to convene standing committee meeting as per the demand of members.
"PM Oli told Dahal that he had not brought the ordinances with bad intention and added, 'Let's take them back if you think so,'" the source confided. It added that PM Oli may write to President Bhandari to revoke the ordinances today itself.
The intra-party dispute in ruling CPN has intensified further after PM Oli brought ordinances making splitting of parties easier, and taking decision in the Constitutional Council through majority on Monday.
The Cabinet meeting at Baluwatar Monday had passed an ordinance allowing splitting of a party with support of 40 percent in either the parliamentary party or the central committee. The act about political parties requires support of 40 percent in both the parliamentary party and the central committee to split any political party.
The ordinance was brought as differences between the two chairmen of ruling CPN have been exacerbating in recent times. There have been rumors that preparations are on to replace PM Oli with senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, and handing over the party responsibilities to executive chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
The differences between Chairman Oli and the faction of Dahal and Nepal intensified on the issue of speaker election and taking Bam Dev Gautam to the National Assembly.
The faction of Dahal and Nepal has clear majority in the secretariat, standing committee, central committee and parliamentary party. Oli will have support of over 40 percent only in the parliamentary party.
The ordinance has been brought to pave the way for Oli to split ruling CPN with support of 40 percent in the parliamentary party if Dahal and Nepal decide to remove him.
Oli also brought another ordinance about majority decision in the Constitutional Council on Monday. The other ordinance states that the Constitutional Council can take decisions on the basis of majority. The six-strong council currently only has five members in lack of election for deputy speaker. The amendment means that the council can take decisions with support of three and even in absence of the main opposition leader and Speaker Agni Sapkota who is in Dahal faction.
It is understood that Oli has brought this ordinance to appoint his men in the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) to ensure that he can threaten to lodge corruption case against the opponents both within the party and outside.
