Nepal PM Oli pushing for ordinance to stay in office, opposed party-mates meet President

Amid growing demand for Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's resignation, senior leaders Jhala Nath Khanal and Madhav Kumar, including Communist Party of Nepal Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', have reached Rashtrapati Bhawan Shital Niwas to meet Nepal President Vidyadevi Bhandari.

Standing Committee meeting postponed

Local media reports state that this meeting is been considered significant as it comes amid speculations that Prime Minister KP Oli is bringing an ordinance that would be easy for political parties to split by garnering 40% support from the party’s central committee or the parliamentary party. It has been widely speculated that the Communist Party is currently heading closer to a split with both the factions led by Prime Minister KP Oli and Chairman Dahal ‘Prachanda’ showing no signs of flexibility.

Oli supporters also met party's vice president Bam Dev Gautam and offered him Home & Deputy PM post to defect but he declined, reports stated.

KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal will again meet later in the day to try to resolve the intra-party dispute. The meeting was earlier scheduled for Saturday before resuming the standing committee meeting. Nepal's ruling party's crucial Standing Committee meeting to decide Oli's future has been postponed until Monday, according to an official announcement.

Prime Minister's press advisor Surya Thapa said that the meeting was postponed until Monday as the top leaders of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) required more time to forge an understanding on the outstanding issues. The crucial meeting of the NCP’s 45-member Standing Committee, the most powerful body of the party, was scheduled to be held on Saturday.

'Politically & Diplomatically inappropriate'

Top NCP leaders have demanded Prime Minister Oli's resignation, saying his recent anti-India remarks were "neither politically correct nor diplomatically appropriate." Prime Minister Oli has claimed that there have been various kinds of activities in the "embassies and hotels" to remove him from power.

READ | Nepal PM KP Oli hospitalised after complaining of chest pains; discharged after check-up

He said some Nepalese leaders were also involved in the game in the aftermath of his government’s move to update the country's political map by incorporating three strategically key Indian territories -- Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura.

READ | Nepal's ruling communist party meet to decide PM Oli's future deferred

Prachanda has time and again spoken about the lack of coordination between the government and the party and he was pressing for a one-man one position system to be followed by the NCP.

READ | Nepal's ruling communist party's Standing Committee to meet on Saturday to decide Oli's fate

The differences between the two factions of the NCP -- one led by Oli and the other led by Prachanda -- intensified after the prime minister unilaterally decided to prorogue the budget session of Parliament on Thursday. Both Prime Minister Oli and former Prime Minister Prachanda are chairmen of the ruling party.

READ | Nepal PM Oli on the brink; his party's co-chair Prachanda confirms 'uncertain future'

(With PTI inputs)