The secretariat meeting of ruling CPN held at Baluwatar on Wednesday has ended agreeing to convene again after 10 days.
Chairman and Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli demanded time to respond to the political report submitted by Dahal in the last meeting on Friday. The meeting has, therefore, decided to give him 10 days to draft the response.
"Dahal's report has baselessly made serious allegations against me. I will have to respond to that with preparations," a party source quoted Oli as saying during the meeting. "I am preparing for that. It will take a few days."
Dahal had unilaterally presented political report in the last secretariat meeting on Friday. Dahal alleged CPN Chairman and Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli of failure in running both the government and party in the report.
Those close to Oli claimed that Dahal made arbitrary allegations against Oli in the report and pointed that there can be no way forward without withdrawal of the report. Some of them have commented that the report makes staying together in the same party difficult.
The Oli camp was insisting that the secretariat meeting cannot be held until Dahal withdraws the report but the meeting eventually took place and all nine members including Oli attended the meeting.
The ruling party is again facing a grave crisis with Dahal claiming that PM Oli has proposed to split the ruling party even as Oli is in minority in parliamentary party, secretariat, standing committee and central committee.
Dahal, Khanal, Nepal and Shrestha have been together in the fight against Oli all the time while Gautam keeps on changing camps. Gautam is angry with Oli now after he was not inducted in the Cabinet in the latest Cabinet reshuffle.
Sources close to Oli, however, have claimed that Dahal has demanded the post of PM.
Dahal is reportedly aggrieved about the Karnali dispute, Cabinet reshuffle, Oli's meeting with Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) Samant Kumar Goel, murder of a party cadre in Parsa and other issues.
Oli and Dahal had signed a five-point agreement at the time of unification of the then CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) on May 17, 2018. The two parties had unified to form CPN the next day on the basis of the five-point agreement.
The fourth point of the agreement mentioned that the two chairmen will lead the government as necessary on the basis of equality and equal period.
But Dahal had relinquished his claim for the post of PM after the two chairmen signed an agreement on division of responsibilities in presence of President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on November 20, 2019.
Dahal was made chairman with executive rights. Oli and Dahal were to remain chairmen, and Oli to continue to be ranked top but Oli had handed over the executive rights to Dahal.
Dahal was to lead the party and chair party meetings while Oli would lead the government through the current term of House of Representatives, according to the agreement.
The party was then on the verge of split with Dahal aggrieved that Oli continues to run even the party unilaterally and the overwhelming majority of members during the last standing committee meeting seeking resignation of PM Oli.
The two chairmen then formed a six-strong task force in August to resolve internal dispute in the party. The standing committee meeting then took decision on the basis of the report submitted by the task force that recommended that Oli would serve the full five-year term as PM and Dahal would take the wheel of the party.
Dahal was to be fully active in party works but required to consult PM Oli who will remain a sort of ceremonial chairman. Similarly, PM Oli was required to move the government works forward consulting Dahal.
But Oli has unilaterally made appointments of ambassadors and reshuffled Cabinet without endorsement of Dahal since the standing committee decision.
