Some CPN-UML Leaders Express Dissatisfaction Over Provincial Power-Sharing Deal

Kathmandu. Some leaders and cadres of the CPN-UML are expressing dissatisfaction with the agreement to cooperate in power-sharing in five provinces with the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN). However, the leadership has remained indifferent to their dissatisfaction. Dissatisfied leaders and cadres say it would have been better if the agreement to cooperate with the CPN had been reached after discussing and deciding in at least a party secretariat meeting, rather than by the chairman alone. Although leaders and cadres are expressing such dissatisfaction through social media, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli is not in favor of calling a secretariat meeting immediately. 'There is no plan to call a secretariat meeting immediately,' said a member of Chairman Oli's secretariat, 'Perhaps there is no interest because there is no specific agenda.' CPN-UML Deputy General Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai has expressed dissatisfaction, stating that the agreement on provincial governments was made in a 'guerrilla style' while there was chaos in both parties. 'Chaos within their respective parties, no participation, no transparency, questions about intent and process, the same mistake again and again, where is the accountability?' Bhattarai sarcastically posted on social media X. Another leader, Gokul Baskota, has also criticized the coalition agreement, calling it Vijay Malla's play 'The Last Supper,' and has questioned the transparency of the agreement. 'CPN-UML and Maoist have gained the capacity to defeat Deuba in the power equation,' Baskota said, asking, 'Why are small coalitions formed and broken? It has become a tradition that apart from a few members of the assembly and specific leaders, others do not even get a hint.' He commented that the CPN-UML CPN agreement is like carrying a pot and going to heaven or hell. 'This might not be Vijay Malla's Last Supper? It's surprising,' Baskota said. Another CPN-UML leader, Dr. Vijay Subba, has also said that the decision regarding the provinces has further increased the dispute within the party. 'The issues of the provinces have further increased disputes within the parties. What would have been lost if this was not done?' Subba said. CPN-UML Deputy General Secretary Lekhraj Bhat considers the general dissatisfaction from leaders and cadres to be natural. 'It is natural to see general dissatisfaction, but overall it is not like that,' Bhat told Ratopati, 'The cooperation between CPN-UML and CPN in the provinces has been done out of necessity.' Leader Bhat also said that there is no possibility of calling a secretariat meeting immediately due to the dissatisfaction. 'There is no subject to call a meeting now,' Bhat told Ratopati, 'If there is a subject, the chairman and general secretary will consult.' According to another CPN-UML official, the question naturally arises as to how appropriate it was to cooperate with the CPN without even holding a secretariat meeting while the issue of reorganization is being fiercely debated within the party. 'Not only provincial cooperation, but on issues of overall political developments, we should move forward after discussion, but the chairman makes agreements alone,' that secretariat member told Ratopati, 'There are also issues of law, method, and process in the party, but when it comes to making decisions, those issues are once again overshadowed. This forces us to question the leadership's working style, even if we don't want to.' Last Saturday, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and CPN Coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda had agreed to form new alliances and lead the governments in Koshi, Bagmati, Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim. According to the agreement, CPN-UML will lead the provincial governments in Koshi, Bagmati, and Lumbini, while the CPN will lead in Karnali and Sudurpaschim.