Nepal ruling party’s meeting ends with no breakthrough

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s ruling communist party’s top decision-making body on Saturday failed to achieve a breakthrough to end the tussle for power between Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and former premier Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ despite four hours of discussions.

No conclusion was reached during the meeting of the Nepal Communist Party’s (NCP) ninemember central secretariat though the party leaders discussed the agenda to be presented during Sunday’s crucial standing committee meeting, according to party leader Ganesh Shah.

During their discussions, senior leaders agreed to resolve the issues through consensus, party spokesperson Narayankaji Shrestha told media persons after the central secretariat meeting.

The NCP called a secretariat meeting after the two top leaders agreed to call a conclave of the highest body of the party ahead of the 45-member standing sommittee meeting on Sunday in a bid to strike a new power-sharing deal by sorting out their differences.

The standing committee meeting of the party is scheduled to take place at 3pm on Sunday.

The standing committee meeting was postponed until Sunday to give more time to Oli and the rival faction led by Prachanda, the executive chairman of the NCP, to have more talks to end the intra-party infighting.