Kathmandu:
Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli on Friday hit out at his political opponents for creating instability when the country was tackling the coronavirus outbreak.
Reports of conflict within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (CPN) have surfaced in the local media.
CPN chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal and senior leader Madhav Kumar are reportedly exerting pressure on Oli to vacate the prime minister’s post, amidst China’s efforts to patch up the differences.
In his address to the nation on International Labour Day, Oli said, “Some media and people are attempting to drag the country back to instability and backwardness when we are fighting the coronavirus outbreak.”
He said Nepal had made progress in recent years due to the sacrifices and struggles of the people guided by strong ideology.
“Stability, peace and prosperity have alarmed some media houses and they are doing everything to foil the success,” said Oli, who is the co-chairperson of the CPN.
Oli warned that efforts to create instability would not be tolerated by the government and the CPN.
The CPN’s standing committee members have urged the two chairpersons — Dahal and Oli — to review the government’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Republica newspaper reported.
Factions led by Oli and Dahal have started signature campaigns among lawmakers in the party to show their strength in the parliamentary party, the daily reported quoting high-level party sources.
Chief Minister of Gandaki Pradesh and NCP standing committee member Prithvi Subba Gurung, in an interview to a private channel, said the party may split if ‘unnecessary’ pressure is exerted on Oli.
Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi has been holding discussions with top CPN leaders, including former prime ministers, even as the political dispute intensifies.
China, which has been investing heavily in Nepal in recent years, is said to be playing an active role in ensuring that infighting will not destabilise the communist government.
Hou met the CPN’s foreign department chief Madhav and Dahal at their respective residences in Kathmandu on Friday morning.
Hou and Madhav discussed different aspects of the close relation between the two countries, according to a source.
The Chinese envoy earlier met Prachanda for about an hour. She also met Oli a couple of days ago.
