The meeting between CPN-UML Chairman and Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli and leader Madhav Kumar Nepal at the party's central office in Dhumbarahi ended without any conclusion on Monday.
The meeting was set up following efforts by leaders of the Oli faction and the Khanal-Nepal faction. The meeting was held at the party office after Nepal refused to meet Oli at the PM's residence in Baluwatar.
Oli spoke first in the meeting that also included other leaders of both the factions. A leader of the Khanal-Nepal faction told Setopati that Oli talked sweet at the beginning stressing on the need to move forward together but did not give up anything.
Nepal spoke after that and claimed that his faction has always been for party unity, according to the leader, and demanded that the unilateral decision taken by Oli on March 12 be voided. Oli had held a central committee meeting of his faction and taken away responsibilities of leaders of the Khanal-Nepal faction on March 12.
Nepal stressed that UML has been reinstated to the status before unification after the Supreme Court (SC) invalidated unification of the then CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) restoring the two parties to the status of the day they were unified and pointed that the decision taken by the meeting of Oli faction on March 12 be voided.
Ishwore Pokharel, Bishnu Paudel and Subash Chandra Nembang of the Oli faction also spoke during the meeting that continued for almost two hours.
"They did not agree when we asked for annulment of the decision taken by the meeting of March 12 as it was not legitimate," the leader of the Khanal-Nepal faction stated.
Nepal urged Oli to cancel the tea party scheduled for Tuesday and the central committee meeting for Saturday while the Oli faction called for cancellation of the national gathering of leaders and cadres called by the Khanal-Nepal faction for Wednesday and Thursday.
The Khanal-Nepal faction on Saturday had formed parallel committees after Oli unilaterally took away responsibilities of leaders of the faction.
The faction had given responsibility of Province 1 to Bhim Acharya, Province 2 to Ghanashyam Bhusal, Bagmati to Ashta Laxmi Shakya, Gandaki to Surendra Pandey, Lumbini and Karnali to Yuva Raj Gyawali and Far West to Bhim Rawal.
Similarly, Raghuji Panta had been made chief of the youth department, Gokarna Bista that of student department, Yogesh Bhattarai publicity, Shakya women and Pramesh Hamal intellectuals.
