Kathmandu, September 16
CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli held a lengthy meeting with former President Bidhya Devi Bhandari last week as disagreements continued within the party’s reorganisation task force.
According to sources, Oli and Bhandari held talks for more than two and a half hours on Friday afternoon. The discussion focused largely on the UML’s internal politics, although national political developments were also discussed.
“The national political situation was discussed, naturally. But the conversation was more focused on the internal politics of the UML,” a source said.
Oli, who is reportedly in a minority within both the UML reorganisation task force and the party secretariat, went to Bhandari’s residence in Baluwatar for the meeting.
It was the first time Oli had met Bhandari since the UML decided not to renew her party membership.
Oli had previously visited Bhandari at Sheetal Niwas while she was president and later at her residence in Bhangal after her presidential tenure ended. However, in July last year, the UML Central Committee approved a decision not to renew Bhandari’s party membership.
Sources close to Bhandari said Oli sought her support amid the growing internal dispute within the party.
“There is a difficult situation in national politics and within the party. The proposal was that we should move forward together at such a time,” a source close to Bhandari said.
According to the source, Bhandari advised Oli to bring different factions together and move forward collectively.
Oli reportedly argued that there was a tendency within the party to create conflict, encourage indiscipline and prepare reports that could benefit external forces.
Bhandari, however, is said to have urged him to seek unity.
“You are in a minority, and those who stood close to you in the past are now standing against you. Can the party be run this way?” Bhandari reportedly asked Oli.
Bhandari, who previously served as a UML vice-chair, also urged Oli to adopt a new approach.
“The party needs to be strengthened through unity. The responsibility of leadership is to bring everyone to a consensus,” she reportedly told him, according to sources. “You also need to think about why those who supported you in the past are now standing in opposition.”
She also advised Oli to seriously consider the party reorganisation agenda raised by Vice-Chairs Bishnu Prasad Paudel and Prithvi Subba Gurung and General Secretary Shankar Pokharel.
Oli argues stepping down could create further problems
According to a source close to Bhandari, Oli argued during the meeting that stepping down from the leadership could create further problems for the party.
“He said that Bishnu and Shankar cannot run the party,” the source said.
The meeting comes as the UML remains divided over two separate reports prepared as part of its party review and reorganisation process. A task force meeting earlier failed to reach agreement on the reports prepared by Vice-Chair Ram Bahadur Thapa and General Secretary Pokharel, with three leaders later tasked with working toward a consensus draft.
The dispute has centred in part on the future of the party’s leadership. Pokharel’s report and suggestions collected from party unit
