Kathmandu : Prime Minister and CPN (UML) Chairperson KP Sharma Oli has urged the party lawmakers of the dissolved House of Representatives to withdraw the signatures they gave in a proposal to make Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba the Prime Minister.

In the Friday Central Committee meeting of the party, Chair Oli requested the leaders including Madhav Kumar Nepal to withdraw their signatures as per the need of party unity and country’s necessity as well as to be active in party activities, saying it is unfortunate to sign against the prime minister of own party and in favour of the opposition party leader.

Chair Oli also asked them to withdraw their signatures within Monday. Similarly, he urged Vice-Chairperson Bamdev Gautam to play special role to unite the party. A total of 23 outgoing lawmakers of CPN (UML) including leader Nepal had signed the writ petition against dissolution of House of Representatives filed at Supreme Court, participating in the opposition alliance.

Participating in the meeting, Vice-Chairperson Gautam, who remained independent over party dispute, assured of taking initiative to make the party united. The meeting has decided to call for resolving the intraparty disputes. According to spokesperson Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, the meeting also passed the proposal of extending congratulations to Communist Party of China (CPC) on its 100th establishment day and achievements of the people and the country.

However, senior leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalnath Khanal-led faction leaders were absent in the meeting. Ram Bahadur Thapa, Top Bahadur Raymajhi among other leaders from the CPN (Maoist Centre) who had joined UML attended the meeting. They were added as the central committee members by the 10th National Convention Organizing Committee meeting on June 30. It is said that the initiations to resolve the disputes in the party will be continued.

In the telephone talks held between party Chair Oli and leader Nepal after scheduling the Friday meeting, leader Nepal had suggested convening the meeting only after carrying out homework. The Central Committee meeting held on June 27 before this had arranged for the meeting of the Organizing Committee for holding discussions on the case related to the dissolution of the House of Representatives which is under consideration in the Supreme Court and the dispute over the party General Convention Organizing Committee, among other issues.

The Nepal-Khanal faction of the party had been disputing over the formation of the Organizing Committee and the decisions it had taken. The UML CC meeting on Friday passed a six-point proposal.

It paid tribute to the party’s veteran leaders the late Pushpa Lal Shrestha, the late Man Mohan Adhikari, the late Madan Bhandari and others; extended condolences to all who died due to COVID-19 pandemic and flood and landslides; wished for speedy recovery of health to the coronavirus infected persons, party senior leader Jhalanath Khanal and those injured in the natural disasters; and urged for sustainable rehabilitation of those displaced due to the natural disaster.

The meeting was informed that the government would bear the cost of medical treatment of leader Khanal.