CPN-UML standing committee member Gokarna Bista has refuted reports that four leaders of the Khanal-Nepal faction may join the camp of Chairman KP Sharma Oli.
Surendra Pandey, Ghanashyam Bhusal, Gokarna Bista and Yogesh Bhattarai of the dissident faction talked with Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, Subash Chandra Nembang and Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali of the Oli camp about party unity at a hotel in Durbar Marg Monday night.
There have been reports that Oli wants to woo the four leaders away from the Khanal-Nepal faction and let others including Jhala Nath Khanal, Madhav Kumar Nepal and Bhim Rawal quit the party. Oli's lieutenants have claimed that the four will eventually join the Oli camp and may get plum ministries or other high-profile positions as rewards.
Bista has refuted those reports saying the four leaders are just making an honest attempt to save party unity. "Misleading news reports have been published in a few media outlets with a bad intention of weakening the efforts to save unity of CPN-UML by taking even my name. Who are disseminating such false information to weaken the honest attempt to save party unity, why and for whom? Time may tell," Bista posted on the social media Thursday morning.
He claimed that the four leaders are trying to return the party back to the state before unification with CPN (Maoist Center) to form a strong unified communist party with the right objective for the benefit of the country, people, democracy and the communist movement. "We are continuously trying for that. Will continue till the final hour. Complete party unity is our confidence. Our stand."
