Nepal: Prachanda holds meeting without Oli | Economic Times

New Delhi: The China-brokered peace deal between Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” encountered severe turbulence as Nepal Communist Party (NCP) executive chairperson Prachanda unilaterally convened a meeting of the powerful standing committee at the premier’s official residence in Kathmandu in Oli’s absence.The 45-member standing committee of NCP was scheduled to meet on Tuesday morning, but the meeting was postponed for the ninth time. However, in a dramatic move Prachanda convened the meeting in the absence of the PM. Standing committee members close to Oli did not attend the meeting.Oli had postponed the meeting without consulting Prachanda, ET has learned. About 25 standing committee members were present in the meeting. The two factions have hardened their positions once again. The Dahal faction is now demanding that Oli resign as party chair. Oli, however, has threatened to take stern steps if he is pressed to stepping down.Earlier, NCP vice chairman Bam Dev Gautam suggested a “middle path” approach to address the conflict between Oli and Prachanda.Gautam proposed that Oli be allowed to stay as PM for the remaining term of the House of Representatives, that is two and a half years, and chairman of the party until the unity general convention that Oli has proposed to hold by mid-December. Besides, he said, Prachanda should be given the responsibility as the NCP chairman with all executive powers until the unity general convention of the NCP is held.The proposal included making fixed criteria for the promotion and transfer of security officials and bureaucrats, reshuffling the cabinet on the basis of the suggestions and consultation of the party's central secretariat, holding consultation within the party’s secretariat prior to unveiling of the government's policies and programmes and hosting party's official meeting at its central office.A power struggle has been brewing in the ruling NCP after top party leaders, including Prachanda, demanded Oli's resignation, saying his recent anti-India remarks were “neither politically correct nor diplomatically appropriate”. They are also against Oli''s autocratic style of functioning.Oli had claimed that some of the ruling party leaders were aligning with India to remove him from power after his government issued a new political map incorporating three Indian territories of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura.Oli and Prachanda have held at least eight meetings in recent weeks to address the differences between them. But as the PM did not accept the condition of one-man, one-post, the talks failed.China has been making frantic efforts to safeguard the regime in Kathmandu. Led by its envoy Hou Yanqi in Kathmandu, it played a critical role in forging what was then described as a temporary truce between Oli and Prachanda.