Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies and CPN standing committee member Lekh Raj Bhatta has said it is not the time to replace Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli.
"Factional meetings are being held at many places. Sometimes at Bhainsepati, and at other places at other times. This is not the time to remove Oli. Once we defeat coronavirus we should discuss inside the party if there are problems with PM. We should not create ruckus in the market," Bhatta, who was appointed minister in November, 2019 in the former Maoist quota, told Setopati.
He stressed on the need to fight to revive the economy reeling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "We should stop this practice of playing dirty games for one's ambitions. This is the time to bring the government's policies and programs. Should we bring policies and programs or indulge in factional meetings?"
Internal dynamics in the ruling party is very fluid in recent times with CPN Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepal allying to oust Oli from Baluwatar.
A majority of standing committee members have urged the two chairman to convene standing committee meeting to review the government's performance.
But Bhatta batted for Oli saying it is not time to convene standing committee meeting as well, and the two chairmen should first sit and resolve the problems. "The two signatories (to unification) should first sit and remove the lack of trust between one another. Then there is a body called secretariat. It apparently should meet after that," he added. "Standing committee meeting, and even central committee meeting if necessary, can be convened after grounds for discussion are prepared."
He pointed that the two chairmen should seriously discuss about the conditions and psychology at the time of signing unification. "The weaknesses of the two chairmen and secretariat members should all be discussed. We should go to the standing committee only after that. Showing weaknesses of just one to save others is not the system among communists."
Bhatta, who has been a confidant of Dahal for a long time while in the Maoist party, now seems closer to Oli after being appointed minister last year on Dahal's quota.
When asked if there are changes in allegiance inside the party Bhatta said, "Change in power equations is not a big deal."
