Concerns and Dissatisfaction Among Leaders as Leadership Moves Toward ‘Left Collaboration’
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Following an event on Sunday where four top leaders of Nepal’s two main communist parties and former prime ministers gathered after a long time to emphasize the necessity of leftist cooperation, new waves of sentiment are emerging within the CPN-UML.
General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, quoting Marx on social media, stated that repeating past incidents, slogans, and tendencies verbatim is not appropriate when times and circumstances change.
His dissenting remarks are perceived as targeting the notion put forth by former Prime Ministers KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda that the left must unite to resist the government’s actions.
“Reorganization is currently essential in Nepal’s politics. The Nepali Congress is undergoing this process, and discussions about reorganization are occurring on both policy and leadership fronts within CPN-UML,” says UML Vice President Raghuji Pant. “While operational unity against the government’s wrongdoings is natural, slogans of unity or functional unity should not distract from reorganization. Perhaps friends are trying to point that out.”
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After reports surfaced that General Secretary Pokharel and others had previously supported efforts to remove Oli from the UML chairmanship, new political developments are unfolding.
The group that challenged Oli during the general convention had also previously pressured him to resign. Ex-President Bidhya Devi Bhandari had openly hinted at a candidacy for the chairpersonship.
However, since the party did not grant her membership, the senior vice president at the time, Ishwar Pokharel’s faction, contested Oli’s leadership at the convention.
In this environment, when several leaders within his own ranks sought to remove him, Oli is believed to have employed political maneuvers.
Prachanda’s Position on Oli’s Political Line
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Prachanda stated, “For national sovereignty, to oppose tyranny, foreign pressure, and interference, leftists and patriots must unite as soon as possible.”
He proposed cooperation in parliament, on the streets, and during elections, adding, “If possible, it should happen today, if not, tomorrow; delaying further will only worsen the situation.”
However, UML leader Gokul Baskota dismissed and criticized this approach.
“This alleged message driven by leadership fearmongering is an old tactic to cover their failures and cling to power,” Baskota wrote. “If reform and gaining strength are the goals, first one must acknowledge mistakes and divisions. Can anyone sacrifice to help colleagues advance?”
During his tenure as prime minister, Oli has consistently described the incidents of Bhadra 23 and 24 as a ‘conspiracy.’
He alleges that these conspiracies influenced the elections. For the first time during the Sunday event, Prachanda also described the Bhadra 24 event and the election as outcomes of a conspiracy.
At the same program, Oli said he had requested parties not to participate in the election but was unsuccessful, and those parties treated UML’s election like a downhill path while considering their own as the highway.
He added, “A reactionary anti-national regression is ongoing; I urge all leftist and democratic forces to unite and stop it.”
While in the party, after Oli dissolved parliament, Prachanda led protests denouncing him as reactionary. Some interpret Prachanda’s recent electoral stance as aligning with Oli’s political line.
Political analyst Hari Roka, who was a candidate from the Nepal Communist Party in the last election, believes Prachanda’s electoral stance has shifted.
“He seems active in generating an electoral environment, but from current behavior, it appears he has adopted policies that strengthen Indo-American dominance and suppress leftists, which seems like an accepted line,” Roka says.
Especially on the proposal for cooperation with Oli, he appears to mask his political insecurities.
“There is fear he will be held accountable for past mistakes or face issues, hence this behavior,” Roka analyzes.
Bidhya Bhandari’s ‘Leadership Initiative’
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Former President Bidhya Devi Bhandari received her party membership a few weeks ago, ahead of which she had been denied membership before the general convention.
The UML meeting decided to grant her membership following visible outcomes from the party’s actions in the month of Baishakh. Prior to that, various talks took place between Oli and Bhandari at different stages. The Madan Bhandari Foundation is understood to be fostering an environment conducive to leftist cooperation, with Bhandari playing a key role.
This has also led to the perception that Oli may be positioning Bhandari as a leadership alternative.
Could this be why Oli’s former colleagues expressed concerns at Sunday’s event?
“I won’t comment on such speculation, but reorganization should not be weakened from any side at this time,” Pant says. “It would be better if primary leaders respectfully retired and acted as guardians. This would reduce unnecessary conflicts, which is the desire of the party’s workers.”
Karn Bahadur Thapa, a UML leader close to Bidhya Bhandari, believes reorganization is essential for any cooperation.
UML leader Vishnu Rizal, however, asserts that the general public’s extreme distrust toward the party and leadership cannot be erased by cooperation alone.
“No one is ready to listen to those who do not acknowledge their past mistakes, feel no incompetence, do not take responsibility or apologize, and have no clear reform plans,” he wrote. “Grand principles need not be changed; this is evident from social media reactions, presence at shops, and public transportation. But when party and public views diverge, discussions and meetings won’t reach beyond themselves.”
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Reorganization Will Not Stop…
Analysts believe that the possibility of Bhandari’s political revival and the impact of Vice President Vishnu Paudel’s arrest—who would play a decisive role in reorganization—mean the process will continue.
CPN-UML leaders assert that these two events will not halt reorganization, including leadership change.
Thapa suggests that if Bhandari is elevated to leadership, Oli must step down, signaling the arrival of a second generation.
Pant also mentions that discussions on left unity or collaboration will not obstruct reorganization.
“There is no need to oppose one thing with another,” Pant says. “This is the demand of leaders, activists, and well-wishers across the country and must be respected by all.”
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