CPN-UML Vice-chairman Surendra Pandey has expressed dissatisfaction that the intra-party directive did not include the notes of dissent registered in the central committee regarding the decision to prevent former president Bidya Devi Bhandari from returning to politics.
Talking to Setopati, Pandey said that three members had submitted notes of dissent against the decision made in the ninth central committee meeting to bar former president Bhandari from returning to politics, adding that they should be discussed.
In the central committee meeting that concluded on July 22, Vice-chairmen Surendra Pandey and Yuvaraj Gyawali, and standing committee member Karna Thapa had submitted notes of dissent.
However, as they were not mentioned in the intra-party directive, the issue has sparked debate within the UML.
“The issue we raised is as clear as daylight. The party today is open, not secretive. Who said what is already out in the open,” Pandey said. “Immediately after the decision was announced in the central committee meeting, we promptly expressed our intent to write a note of dissent. Both Yuvaraj Gyawali and I signed it.”
He noted that the content of the note of dissent has already been made public and must be discussed.
“Our note of dissent stands. It’s already public. It was reported at the time that so-and-so spoke in opposition and wrote a note of dissent,” he said.
Pandey said that those who submitted notes of dissent should have been consulted before issuing the intra-party directive. He opined that the note of dissent should have been included as part of the directive and sent to lower committees.
“They should have asked whether we wanted our note of dissent included in the intra-party directive and sent to lower committees. Someone might say they have a differing opinion but don’t want it included in the intra-party directive. But they issued the intra-party directive without even asking,” he said.
He affirmed that their stance (that Bidya Devi Bhandari should not be barred from returning to politics) would not change. He added that they would raise the issue more systematically in the upcoming central committee meeting.
Vice-chairman Gyawali has also expressed dissatisfaction over the exclusion of the note of dissent from the intra-party directive.
Talking to Setopati on Friday, Gyawali said that there was a tradition of sending notes of dissent from party committee meetings to lower committees for discussion. He said that they would raise the issue regarding the exclusion of their note of dissent in the upcoming central committee meeting.
The issue sparked debate after General Secretary Shankar Pokharel claimed that there were no dissenting views on the matter other than Karna Thapa’s during the central committee meeting.
“We spoke in the central committee meeting that former president Bidya Devi Bhandari should not be barred from returning to politics. We also submitted our dissent in writing,” Gyawali told Setopati. “Maybe they (Chairman KP Sharma Oli and General Secretary Shankar Pokharel) are unaware? There was a practice of including written dissents from the central committee in the intra-party directive. Why was it not sent? We will raise this issue in the committee meetings.”
He added that the issues raised in the central committee, including their dissent, would also be brought up in the statute convention.
“We are still speaking on the issues we raised in the central committee meeting. I have spoken, and Surendra Pandeyji has been speaking as well. Both of us raised the same issue in the central committee. Karna Thapa may have added some points (regarding the 70-year age limit and two-term limit for leadership). There will be debate and discussion on this,” he said.
