Party unity not possible unless signatures are withdrawn: Oli

CPN UML chairperson and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said the party will not unite unless the lawmakers withdraw the signatures submitted at the Supreme Court. 

The CPN UML chair who is also Prime Minister issued a directive to the party lawmakers to withdraw the signatures within two days to stop the party split. The party lawmakers had signed supporting opposition alliance including Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba to become prime minister. 

Addressing the CPN UML central committee meeting, Oli said the party lawmakers' action of supporting Deuba to become prime minister was against the party's statute. He said, "The party can not unite unless the lawmakers withdraw the signatures within two days." He said that it was not acceptable that the party members support the opposition leader.

The CPN UML has also directed its 23 members who had signed for the opposition alliance.

PM Oli also said that he held a phone conversation with Madhav Kumar Nepal on Thursday night asking him for a meeting, but he did not agree. "I talked to Madhav on the phone for around 25 minutes. I asked him to hold a meeting, but he did not agree," Oli disclosed during the CC meeting.

The first CC meeting of CPN UML took place after the 10th general convention organising committee was dissolved

The leaders of the party faction led by senior leaders Jhalanath Khanal and Nepal were also invited to the meeting. However, they did not attend the meeting today. Senior leader Khanal is undergoing treatment in India for the past few weeks.

The party vice-chair Bamdev Gautam who was neutral after the intraparty dispute occurred in the UML, attended today’s meeting.

The meeting of the organising committee led by Oli held on June 30 had decided to dissolve the organising committee and to return the party structure back just as before the merger between UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) took place.

Leader Nepal had urged chair Oli to set the meeting agenda in consensus reaching the party in the previous structure.