Kathmandu, May 25: A secretariat meeting of CPN-UML on Sunday formed a task force under vice-chairman Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal to assess the elections outcomes and recommend suggestions on the party restructuring within a month.
The party secretariat meeting, held for four consecutive days at the residence of party chairman KP Sharma Oli in Gundu, Bhaktapur, took the decision to this effect, said deputy general secretary Lekh Raj Bhatta.
Bhatta informed that the task force would submit report to the party central committee to give is a final go-ahead.
The meeting that ran for around 10 hours also decided to hold central committee meeting in mid-June. The CC meeting will be convened following consultations between the chairman and the general secretary.
Today’s meeting has also decided to amend the previous decision of division of responsibilities among the party leaders after some of them expressed their reservations about it. The meeting assigned party chair KP Sharma Oli and general secretary Shankar Pokharel to make correction on work division.
During the secretariat meeting, a majority of office-bearers urged party chair Oli to resign so that the tasks of party reorganisation would gain momentum.
They argued that the top leadership should take moral responsibility for the party’s recent electoral defeats and ongoing crisis, and that Oli should step down to help rescue the party from its difficulties.
As even leaders long regarded as close to him have called for his resignation, Oli has come under huge moral pressure.
After office-bearers presented their views, chairman Oli responded following discussions on the division of responsibilities.
He intermittently shared his views, stating that attempts were being made to weaken the party in collusion with its opponents. The meeting further decided to move forward by strengthening party unity and cohesion.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, secretary Mahesh Basnet said, “There were media reports suggesting the resignation of the chairman. However, that is not true, as a task force has been formed under the coordination of vice-chairman Ram Bahadur Thapa to keep the party united.”
“The party will be reorganised based on the recommendations of that report,” Basnet added. “The chairman’s proposal has been endorsed. Now the party will move forward strongly under Oli’s leadership.”
The meeting also finalised the seniority ranking of party office-bearers. After chairman K.P. Sharma Oli, vice-chairmen ‘Badal’ and Bishnu Paudel come in hierarchy followed by Prithvi Subba Gurung, Gokarna Bista, Raghuji Panta, Shankar Pokharel, Lekh Raj Bhatta and Yogesh Bhattarai.
The secretariat also restored the seniority position of deputy general secretary Yogesh Bhattarai.
In the proposed ranking, Bhattarai was placed third, but the meeting moved him up to second position among the deputy general secretaries.
Likewise, the meeting assigned responsibilities to all members of the central committee, said Bhatta.
He said the party has adopted a new direction aimed at organisational restructuring and greater efficiency.
The meeting also concluded that the government had deviated from the path of democracy.
The meeting particularly criticised irregularities in customs administration, the government’s indifference towards resolving the problems of landless squatters, and its controversial approach to the appointment and seniority of the Chief Justice.
Furthermore, the meeting also decided to construct the party’s central office building on its own land at Madannagar, Balkhu.
