KATHMANDU, April 23: The ruling CPN-UML has removed leaders close to senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal during the formation of the party’s Standing Committee. Leaders close to Bam Dev Gautam, however, have been included in the Standing Committee.
CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has inducted leaders standing in his favor when the intra-party rift in the erstwhile Nepal Communist Party (NCP) was at its peak in the newly-formed Standing Committee. Ram Bahadur Thapa, Lekha Raj Bhatta, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, and Mani Thapa are among the former Maoist Center leaders inducted in the UML’s Standing Committee.
Senior leader Nepal and Bam Dev Gautam have maintained that it is difficult to stay within the same party as Oli has announced not to withdraw his unilateral decision to appoint former Maoist Center leaders as the UML’s central committee members and strip leaders close to Madhav Kumar Nepal of their party responsibilities.
Oli had held one-on-one meetings with senior leader Nepal on Wednesday and Thursday. He also held a dinner meeting with Gautam on Thursday evening to bridge the differences seen in the party. Both the leaders, however, have said in public that Oli has shown no sign of addressing their demands.
According to the leaders present in the UML’s meeting on Friday, Chairman Oli has announced to include more leaders in the Standing Committee later. The following leaders are now included in the UML’s Standing Committee.
1. K P Oli
2. Bam Dev Gautam
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3. Ishwar Pokharel
4. Ram Bahadur Thapa “Badal”
5. Bishnu Paudel
6. Subas Nembang
7. Shankar Pokharel
8. Pradeep Gyawali
9. Lekh Raj Bhatta
10. Top Bahadur Rayamajhi
11. Satya Narayan Mandal
12. Bishnu Rimal
13. Chhabi Lal Bishwakarma
14. Prithvi Subba Gurung
15. Raghubir Mahaseth
16. Kiran Gurung
17. Keshab Badal
18. Pushpa Raj Kandel
19. Mani Thapa
