The Netra Bikram Chand led CPN is divided about whether to participate in the upcoming local election.
The party’s central committee meeting that started in Kapilvastu on Friday has been discussing General Secretary Chand’s political report that proposes to use election to join peaceful politics.
Chand and other leaders including Khadka Bahadur Bishwokarma, Santosh Pun among others are in favor of participating in the election while secretariat members Dharmendra Bastola and Hemanta Prakash Oli are against participation.
Bastola is for moving forward the agenda of presidential system despite opposing election while Oli is for boycott of election.
“Two clear streams have been seen in the party. This central committee meeting will reach one conclusion. Secretariat members themselves are divided for and against election,” a central member told Setopati. “There is a strong voice for us going into election having agreed to join peaceful politics. A few comrades have said that there is no meaning of participating in the kind of elections that are held now.”
Chand led CPN had signed a three-point agreement with the government led by KP Sharma Oli on March 4, 2021.
A press note issued by the talk team of both the sides had stated that the ‘Chand led CPN will carry out all its political activities peacefully and seek to resolve all political issues through dialogue while the government will revoke the ban on the party's activities, release all the arrested party leaders and cadres, and withdraw the cases against them.’
Chand has been repeatedly meeting different leaders for implementation of the agreement.
Chand, who participated in the split of Pushpa Kamal Dahal led Maoist party under Mohan Baidya in June 2012, had quit Baidya’s party two years later announcing to lead a rebellion. Chand has even been criticized inside the party for not justifying splitting of the party in the name of revolution.
There are efforts of unification of the Chand led CPN with CPN (Maoist Center) after the party signed the deal with government last year. Maoist Center leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara has been making efforts for that and has met Chand multiple times for that.
Chand and Bishwokarma, however, differ on the issue of party unification. Bishwokarma reportedly wants to unify with CPN-UML. Chand apparently has told him that the two should remain together irrespective of the party they unify with.
Chand is said to favor unification with Maoist Center but a few leaders in the Maoist party are reportedly not ready for that.
