The meeting between CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Senior Leader Madhav Kumar Nepal reportedly set for Thursday has yet to be scheduled.
Deputy parliamentary party leader and Oli's confidant Subas Chandra Nembang on Thursday stated that the two top leaders will meet Thursday or Friday at the latest. Leaders close to Nepal also confirmed that. But the meeting has yet to materialize.
Nepal is said to be angry at the expression of Oli on Thursday. "If you have deviated from the path, do come back. I have pardoned you," Oli announced without taking name of the faction or any leader while addressing a program organized at Tulsi Lal Amatya Academy premises in Chyasal, Lalitpur on Thursday to mark Pushpa Lal Memorial Day.
Addressing another program at the same venue the next day Nepal took a swipe at Oli alleging he announced blanket pardon for the Khanal-Nepal faction like a king. "King delivered an order yesterday saying honorable members including Madhav Nepal will be pardoned. We were elated. Should we laugh in elation on being pardoned?" Nepal said. "Would his height have been down had he said it was wrong to seek explanation and he has taken that back? Wouldn't have."
Talking to reporters after the program Nepal pointed that reaching agreement is not as easy as it is said to be.
A leader close to Nepal told Setopati that Oli still doesn't want to correct himself. "It has not moved forward from the place it was a few days back. Oli should not have said so at Chyasal. He has that habit. There is no chance of the two leaders meeting even today. We will have internal discussion among ourselves. We may also have informal discussion with leaders from the Oli camp."
Nepal is said to have vented his ire over Oli's statement with his confidants. "It was cooling down a bit. He made an announcement in the style of a king as if pardoning a criminal," another leader close to Nepal said. "It seemed like that of a master and a slave. That has created doubts. Discussions are being held a bit in informal manner. It doesn't seem the two leaders will meet any time soon."
The Oli camp, meanwhile, confided that Oli is angry with Nepal's recent coziness with the ruling coalition and Prime Minister (PM) Sher Bahadur Deuba and especially the meeting at Baluwatar on Saturday.
"We are trying hard to arrange the meting. An then Nepal attends coalition meeting when we are close to arranging one. Oli is fuming saying he went out of Baluwatar (when Oli was PM) on 10 occasions to meet Nepal but Nepal refused to come to Baluwatar even once," a standing committee member close to Oli told Setopati pointing how Nepal has met Deuba at the latter's residence in Budhanilkantha and Baluwatar in the intervening period. "We don't know when the meeting will be held. But we are tirelessly working for that."
The task force formed for resolving dispute in UML reached a 10-point agreement on July 11 but Nepal has yet to accept it. The Khanal-Nepal faction says the deal should be implemented after agreement between Oli and Nepal but Oli unilaterally endorsed the deal and dissolved the task force.
Nepal's confidants say he is looking for deal even in power sharing inside the party demanding decisions be taken on consensus.
