The saga of differences in Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) has played out embarrassingly hours after Chairmen Mahantha Thakur and Upendra Yadav issued a joint statement urging party leaders and cadres to foster unity.
Chairman Thakur sent a letter to the Federal Parliament Secretariat on Tuesday informing that Rajendra Mahato has been appointed parliamentary party leader.
Yadav immediately claimed he had sent another letter to the secretariat on Sunday clarifying that JSP has not chosen its parliamentary party leader, and accused that the party's letter head and stamp have been misused in the Thakur's letter. "That letter (sent by Thakur) prima facie looks forged. That is wrong however it may have been drafted," Yadav told Setopati. "We have already written to the House saying that parliamentary party leader has not been chosen."
He argued that sending the letter about appointment of parliamentary party leader without holding parliamentary party meeting is fraud. He said that the issue will be discussed during the central executive meeting to be held on May 22 and 23.
The two chairmen earlier on Tuesday issued a joint statement to send a message of unity. The statement said JSP has decided to not immediately join the government but clarified that the party will move forward if there is a chance to form national unity government or the party gets to lead the government.
The eight-point statement also urged the party leaders and cadres to foster party unity and make the party stronger.
JSP has called the meeting of its central executive committee on May 22 and 23 to try to resolve the dispute in the party.
JSP was divided on whether to form a government excluding CPN-UML or not. JSP leaders Baburam Bhattarai and Upendra Yadav, coming from erstwhile Federal Socialist Forum Nepal, publicly demanded toppling of Oli government and wanted to form a majority government with Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN (Maoist Center) while leaders from the erstwhile Rashtriya Janata Party like Thakur and Rajendra Mahato were negotiating with Oli and prevented formation of majority government in alliance with NC and Maoist Center.
The differences escalated further after the Thakur-Mahato faction unilaterally elected Mahato as the parliamentary party leader.
The two chairmen held discussion on Sunday in that context. The two chairmen pointed how UML Chairman and Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli and dissident leader Madhav Kumar Nepal have agreed to move forward together and stressed at the need for JSP to remain united as well.
The party has called the executive committee meeting to that regard.
