The secretariat meeting of ruling CPN at Baluwatar on Monday has endorsed the task force formed under General Secretary Bishnu Paudel to resolve the internal dispute in the party.
CPN Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha said the meeting has called formation of the task force to resolve the internal dispute in the party positive. "The meeting has also wished the task force for success with hope that it will recommend the works to be done by the party and the government to carry out the responsibilities faced by the country," Shrestha said.
He did not reveal the deadline given to the task force but added that it will submit the report as soon as possible.
A meeting of the warring CPN Chairmen KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal at Baluwatar on Friday had formed the task force.
The task force also including standing committee members Janardan Sharma, Shankar Pokharel, Bhim Rawal, Surendra Pandey and Pampha Bhusal has been instructed to draft the framework of agreement soon.
Senior leaders Jhala Nath Khanal and Madhav Kumar Nepal, and Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha had then met Dahal and pointed that the task force should be formed by the secretariat.
Secretariat meeting was not held since July 18. Prime Minister and CPN Chairman KP Sharma Oli had proposed early general convention in December during the meeting. Fellow Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had agreed for the early general convention during the meeting but had later clarified he is against it.
The internal dispute has escalated since with the standing committee meeting stalled due to boycott by Oli. The leaders held a standing committee meeting on July 28 in absence of Oli but the meeting didn't made any decision beyond asking Dahal to talk with Oli to agree on a date for standing committee meeting.
The two chairmen had resumed dialogue on Thursday having last talked on August 4. Oli had claimed in a television program on Wednesday that the internal dispute will be resolved within five days.
Senior leader Jhala Nath Khanal and standing committee member Subash Chandra Nembang had also attended the meeting August 4. The four leaders had been speaking daily for three days but had not met after August 4.
Oli had then proposed to convene secretariat meeting to resolve the intra-party dispute figuring that he has majority in the nine-strong secretariat after apparent volte-face by Vice-chairman Bam Dev Gautam or at least counting on Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa to remain neutral and not speak against him during secretariat meeting. Dahal and others have been calling for resumption of standing committee meeting due to their overwhelming majority there.
The two sides had remained adamant on their respective stands during the meetings on those three days. Dahal had met Vice-chairman Gautam at the latter's residence in Bhainsepati earlier on August 4 before the meeting of four leaders at Baluwatar.
Gautam had given a six-point advice to the warring chairmen that largely favors Oli to stop the internal dispute in the party on July 28. Oli had reached Gautam's residence later in the evening with wife Radhika Shakya and was joined by CPN General Secretary Bishnu Paudel in what Baluwatar source insisted was a family gathering.
Dahal had visited Gautam on August 4 to apparently win back Gautam to ensure that Oli is again in minority even in the secretariat.
Gautam had proposed that Oli should serve the full term as prime minister (PM), Oli also should remain chairman until the next general convention, and the general convention should be held in consensus. He had proposed that Dahal should remain chairman with all the executive rights until the general convention.
The latest proposal appeared as another volte-face by Gautam who has been switching camps in the past few years. Oli had proposed to make Gautam the PM to break the alliance against him in April end when he was similarly in a tight spot.
But he later reneged on the promise and Gautam had returned back to the anti-Oli alliance. What prompted the latest change of heart in Gautam has yet to be known.
