Commentary
All’s not well between Prime Minister and CPN-UML President KP Sharma Oli and his erstwhile comrade-in-arms, party’s senior vice-president Bamdev Gautam. These days, Gautam hardly attends UML’s programmes.
This is because of strained relations between Oli and Gautam, who was instrumental in electing Oli as UML chief through the party’s ninth general convention. While Gautam has been keeping mum on his ties with Oli, former UML chief and former prime minister Jhala Nath Khanal has been vocal, criticising Oli in public forums.
These days, Gautam remains disappointed with Oli because the latter has not bothered to implement a gentleman’s agreement reached with him, according to a UML leader.
In conversation with leaders close to him, Gautam accuses Oli of cheating him. Still, unlike Khanal, Gautam has not criticised Oli in public so far.
Gaushala deal
During the general convention, leaders from Oli and Gautam camps had reached a ‘gentleman’s understanding’ at the Madan Bhandari Foundation in Gaushala. The Gautam camp had Gautam, Kiran Gurung, Hari Parajuli, Bal Ram Banskota, Dal Bahadur Rana, Keshav Lal Shrestha and Rabindra Adhikari at the meeting.
The Oli camp had Oli, Bidhya Bhandari and Bishnu Poudel, among others. The meeting had agreed to elect Oli as leader of the UML Parliamentary Party instead of Khanal. The Gautam camp had also agreed to support Oli for the post of UML chief.
As per the deal, Oli was supposed to hand over the post of UML PP leader to Gautam. The two sides had also agreed to hand over the party leadership to Gautam at the next general convention.
Leaders close to the Gautam camp say the two sides had agreed to make Gautam acting chief of the UML after elevation of Oli as prime minister.
At that time, then party President Khanal had argued that one person should not hold two posts (Oli has still been holding two positions — that of UML chief and prime minister). The Oli camp had objected to Khanal’s stance. But then Gautam supported Oli and Khanal lost the contest for UML PP leader’s position. During the general convention, Gautam abided by the Gaushala deal, elevating Oli to the post of UML chief.
For all his service to Oli, Gautam got virtually nothing, except the post of Home Minister in the Sushil Koirala Cabinet.
For all his service to Oli, Gautam got virtually nothing, except the post of Home Minister in the Sushil Koirala Cabinet. “Gautam did not feel cheated while holding the Home portfolio. But when Oli became prime minister, Gautam slipped into oblivion. These days, Gautam feels Oli cheated him.”
Gautam has indeed slipped into oblivion with Oli taking charge of the party, the government and the UML PP. This senior leader has no role whatsoever in the functioning of the party and the government. Oli does not bother to take Gautam into confidence while making decisions.
Deal with Khanal
Not only Gautam, but Khanal has also fallen prey to Oli’s plot. Khanal has not yet spoken about any deal reached with Oli. But then UML vice-president Bidhya Devi Bhandari had hinted during the UML GC that such a deal had happened. She had said in public that Jhala Nath Khanal will become the next president.
UML grapevines point that Khanal supported Oli during the GC, hoping that the latter will help him become the second president of the new republic.
Though tight-lipped on the deal with Oli, Khanal lambasted Oli during a programme at Nepal Academy on Tuesday. It’s unclear when Gautam will open up about the deal with Oli. There was a time when Gautam would pledge support to PM Oli.
Such pledges have become a thing of the past. These days, Gautam does not make such remarks.
Khanal-Nepal tieup?
At Tuesday’s programme, Khanal and another senior UML leader Madhav Nepal stood together, indicating that their relations, strained during the ninth GC, are on the mend. Coming together of Nepal, Khanal and Gautam will have a massive impact on the Oli camp and it is well aware of that threat.
However, a leader from the Oli camp says: “Despite criticising the government’s performance, there’s no possibility of Khanal joining the Nepal camp.”
