Prime Minister and CPN Chairman (PM) KP Sharma Oli proposed to make Vice-chairman Bam Dev Gautam the PM during the secretariat meeting of ruling CPN Wednesday night.
Oli who has been cornered by the alliance of another Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, senior leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhala Nath Khanal, and Gautam against him proposed that Gautam be made the PM after the end of coornavirus pandemic. "Let's make him PM by amending the Constitution to allow even a National Assembly member the PM or by vacating any constituency and getting him elected from there," Oli proposed after Dahal demanded Oli's resignation at the start of the meeting.
Oli also proposed that Nepal be made the third chairman of the party that currently has two.
The proposal seems to be an attempt to create division in the coalition against him and it seemed to succeed immediately. While others in the anti-Oli faction demanded his resignation or standing committee meeting to further corner Oli, Gautam supported Oli's proposal and said there is no need for standing committee meeting proposing that the secretariat should take decision on that.
It will be very difficult to make Gautam the PM as per Oli's proposal as ruling CPN does not have the two-third majority needed for Constitution amendment and vacating a constituency and holding a by-election will take time. There will be no guarantee that Gautam will be elected by the people even if by-election were held, considering the bitter factional politics of CPN and massive disenchantment of the people with the CPN-led government. Gautam has always claimed that he lost the last election due to internal treachery of the party.
Ram Bahadur Thapa, who is currently in the Oli camp, opined during the meeting that Oli's proposals to resign and make Gautam the PM are both wrong while Bishnu Paudel and Ishwore Pokharel supported Oli's proposal.
The meeting then ended deciding to meet again on Saturday.
"The secretariat meeting will take appropriate decision in accordance to the current situation and in a way to move the party forward in a united manner, and the process of socio-economic transformation as per the people's mandate," CPN Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha told media persons after the meeting. "The leadership team of the party will do informal homework in the intervening period."
He added that the secretariat meeting on Saturday will also take necessary decision about the standing committee meeting demanded by some leaders.
Internal dynamics in the ruling party is very fluid in recent times with CPN Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and senior leader Madhav Kumar 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.
Oli is trying to win over disgruntled lawmakers from Dahal-Nepal faction to forge a majority in the parliamentary party.
The factions of both Oli, and that of Dahal and Nepal have started signature campaign among the party lawmakers to show they have majority in the parliamentary party.
