The central committee meeting of the CPN (UML) has appointed senior party leader, Jhal Nath Khanal, as acting general secretary of the party.

According to reports, the UML meeting held at a secret location has authorized Khanal to use all the powers that the party’s general secretary, Madhav Kumar Nepal, is entitled to as per the party’s constitution. General Secretary Nepal is under house arrest for over a month now.

A veteran leader, Khanal had served as the general secretary of the then CPN (ML) between 1982-89. Charismatic communist leader, late Madan Bhandari, succeeded him as general secretary in 1989 and led his party as the main opposition in the parliamentary polls held in 1991.

According to Kantipur daily, the UML central committee meeting on Saturday also adopted a political resolution prepared by Khanal. The central committee meeting authorized party’s standing committee to chart out plans and programmes for future movement and coordinate and launch it.

The UML – that was a major partner in the four-party coalition that was dismissed by His Majesty the King on February 1—has already decided to take part in the joint peaceful campaign to be launched from Tuesday (Feb. 8) demanding restoration of democratic process in the country.

The meeting also deliberated on issues like decentralization and inclusive democracy and take action against the party’s leaders and cadres “who had made mistakes.”

Out of the 68-member central committee of the party, nine members are either in detention or under house arrest since Feb. 1, party sources said.