CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has promoted former Maoist leaders ahead of veteran UML leaders in ranking.
The internal directive circulated to inform about the decisions of central committee meeting held on December 11 and 12 has determined ranking of UML leaders.
Ram BahadurThapa, who finished last among six leaders elected vice-chairs in the recent general convention, has been ranked third among vice-chairs after Yubaraj Gyawali and Ashta Laxmi Shakya and ahead of Bishnu Paudel, Subash Chandra Nembang and Surendra Pandey.
Nembang had been staking claim for senior vice-chair claiming that Oli is the only leader senior to him in the party.
Oli has also ranked erstwhile Maoist leaders ahead of UML ones among seven secretaries. Top Bahadur Rayamajhi has been ranked first among the secretaries followed by another Maoist leader Lekh Raj Bhatta. Gokarna Bista, who received the highest number of votes among the seven, has been ranked third followed by Yogesh Bhattarai who received the second highest number of votes.
UML leaders are unhappy about the ranking. Nembang is the most aggrieved among the leaders due to higher ranking granted for Thapa, according to a party source. Paudel and Pandey are also said to be unhappy about the ranking.
Bista and Bhattarai, similarly, are unhappy about being ranked below Rayamajhi and Bhatta. "Party chairman has acted arbitrarily. We cannot speak about it now. But this will explode one day. Ranking has been done unilaterally without setting any standard," a UML office-bearer confided.
