Prime Minister and CPN (UML) chairman Jhala Nath Khanal met his party’s senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal as part of an exercise to improve relationship between them which has increasingly become bitter of late.

PM Jhala Nath Khanal

Madhav Kumar Nepal
PM Khanal reached Nepal’s residence in Koteshwor today morning to clear the air on various issues they stand opposed to each other including early budget, cabinet expansion and the growing ties with UCPN (Maoist).

During the meeting, PM Khanal is learnt to have urged Nepal to extend his support to resolve the growing dispute and rift inside that vexes UML and complete the ongoing processes of peace and constitution drafting.

In response, Nepal expressed his objection over PM Khanal’s tendency to run the government without seeking any consultation from the senior members of his own party. He also asked Khanal to immediately call the party’s crucial Central Committee meeting that was put off indefinitely without citing any reasons.

Nepal along with another senior UML leader K.P Oli are miffed with Khanal right from the day he assumed the post of prime minister after forging a secret seven- point deal with Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal without the knowledge of top leadership of his own party.

Since that day, the Nepal-Oli camp has been very vocal in criticizing each and every move of the government led by their own party including its decision to bring early budget and complete the important task of army integration as per the integration model presented by Nepal Army.

Both Nepal and Oli were conspicuously absent in yesterday’s crucial meeting between top UML and Maoist leadership which decided to extend CA tenure and present early budget after forging consensus with other parties.

PM Khanal had also met Oli few days ago and requested the latter to extend his support in the running of the government. nepalnews.com