CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and General Secretary Shankar Pokharel have separately met former president Bidya Devi Bhandari.
Last Thursday, UML Chairman Oli met Bhandari, who is also a former vice-chair of the party, and urged her to support him.
In response, Bhandari made it clear that she supports the reorganization of the party, according to a source.
“You were unable to run the party. Look at what the party has become. It would be better if you now facilitated the process,” the source quoted Bhandari as saying. “You could not even protect your own team, and you did not allow those with differing views to remain [in the party].”
Oli reportedly responded that there was currently no possibility of immediately transferring the party leadership and that there was no suitable candidate to take over either.
Bhandari replied that rules and procedures are more important than individuals, according to the source.
She also suggested that Oli review the reasons behind the electoral defeat and the weakening of the party.
UML General Secretary Pokharel also visited Bhandari at her residence in Baluwatar.
Pokharel briefed her on the report prepared by the election review and party reorganization task force and also inquired about her meeting with Oli.
Bhandari said that there was no need to interpret her meeting with Oli in any other way and reiterated that she supports party reorganization.
“The task force has now incorporated the same issues we had raised in the past. This is not something prepared by an individual; it reflects suggestions submitted by party cadres,” said a leader close to Bhandari. “If the party is to be run according to the wishes of grassroots cadres, there is no alternative to party reorganization. We are firm on the position that the party should be run according to rules and procedures rather than individuals.”
The task force has recommended reorganizing the party, concluding that Oli’s working style was the main factor behind the UML’s weakening.
Task force coordinator and UML Vice-chairman Ram Bahadur Thapa has not accepted the report. However, a majority of task force members support it.
Although Oli pressured the task force to rewrite the report, General Secretary Pokharel, who serves as its member-secretary, has refused to do so. Oli, arguing that the report was prepared with the intention of removing him, had asked task force coordinator Thapa to prepare a counter-report. The task force then held a residential meeting in Panauti, Kavre, with the aim of producing a single unified report.
After failing to reach an agreement during the meeting held from Saturday to Monday, responsibility has been assigned to Vice-chairman Thapa, another Vice-chairman Bishnu Paudel, and General Secretary Pokharel. The three leaders have agreed to present a proposal for consensus at the task force meeting on September 17.
