RULING PARTY IN GRAVE CRISIS: NEPAL PM

OLI INDICATES COMMUNIST PARTY MAY SPLIT SOON

KATHMANDU: Facing growing demand for his resignation, Nepal’s embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has said that the ruling communist party is facing a grave crisis, indicating that it may split soon, according to a media report on Sunday.

Oli, at an emergency meeting of the cabinet at his official residence, told the cabinet ministers that “some of our party members are also trying to remove President Bidya Devi Bhandari from the power,” My Republica newspaper quoted a senior leader as saying.

“Now, conspiracies are being hatched to remove me from the post of prime minister and party chairman,” the prime minister said on Saturday, adding that he will not let it happen.

The ruling party is facing a grave crisis, Oli said.

After Oli’s remarks about the conspiracy to impeach the president, three former prime ministers - Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Madhav Nepal and Jhanalanth Khanal - met Bhandari and clarified that the rumour about the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leaders trying to remove her from office were untrue, The Kathmandu Post reported.

On Saturday, a crucial meeting of the NCP’s 45-member powerful Standing Committee to decide the political future of Oli was postponed until Monday to allow more time for the top leadership to iron out their differences over his style of functioning and anti-India statements.

During the cabinet meeting, a defiant Oli said that he will not be forced to accept the party’s standing committee decision.