Nepal PM Oli buys few days time; showdown party talks with Prachanda deferred

Nepal's ruling communist party's crucial Standing Committee meeting to decide Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli's future has been postponed until Wednesday, according to an official announcement. Prime Minister's press advisor Surya Thapa said that the meeting was deferred for Wednesday. The reason for the postponement was not immediately known.

On Saturday as well, the meeting was postponed for 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 Monday.

Top NCP leaders, including former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, have demanded Prime Minister Oli's resignation, saying his recent anti-India remarks were "neither politically correct nor diplomatically appropriate." Oli and Prachanda were expected to meet on Monday, ahead of the Standing Committee meeting.