Following the rare gathering of four top leaders from the two major communist parties and former prime ministers on Sunday, who emphasized the need for leftist cooperation, a new wave of political dynamics has emerged within the CPN UML. General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel quoted Marx on social media, stating that “due to changes in time and context, it is inappropriate to repeat past events, slogans, and trends verbatim.” Former Prime Ministers KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ appeared to signal the necessity for unity in opposing government actions in response to Pokhrel’s dissenting views.
“Reorganization is currently essential in Nepali politics. The Nepali Congress is undergoing that process, and within the CPN UML, discussions about reorganization are occurring on both policy and leadership fronts,” said UML Vice President Raghuji Pant. “While a functional unity against the government’s wrongdoings is natural, slogans promoting unity or functional unity should not undermine the reorganization efforts. Perhaps that was the reality my colleagues wanted to point out.” The revelation that Pokhrel and others previously attempted to remove Oli from the UML chairmanship while supporting him has sparked this new political development.
The faction posing a challenge to Oli at the party convention had earlier been pressuring him to step down from leadership. Former President Bidya Devi Bhandari had openly indicated her intention to run for the chairmanship. However, as she was denied party membership, the group led by then Senior Vice President Ishwar Pokhrel contested Oli at the convention. There is a prevailing understanding that Oli engaged in “political maneuvering.”
Prachanda stated, “Leftists and patriots must unite as soon as possible against threats to national sovereignty, authoritarianism, foreign pressure, and interference.” Proposing cooperation in parliament, on the streets, and during elections, he said, “If it can be done today, then today; if tomorrow, even that is not easy. The sooner, the better. Delays will lead to more severe disasters.” Nonetheless, UML leader Gokul Baskota has ignored and criticized this call.
“This supposed message spread by the leadership, warning of grave danger, is an old tactic used to cover up their own failures and retain power,” Gokul Baskota wrote. “If reform and gaining strength are the goals, the party must first confront its splits and accept mistakes.” Former Prime Minister Oli has consistently described the events of Bhadra 23 and 24 as a “conspiracy,” alleging that the election was compromised by this plot. For the first time, Prachanda also stated at Sunday’s event that the Bhadra 24 incident was the result of election conspiracy.
