Nepali PM caught in power struggle

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s prime minister could be forced out of office within weeks amid an internal tussle for power within his governing party after his sharp rhetoric on neighbouring India, and as Chinese influence grows in the country.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli was set to meet his Nepal Communist Party rival, Pushpa Kamal Dahal – who argues it is his turn to rule – before a series of party meetings in coming days and weeks that will decide whether Oli is removed from his post.

Oli’s troubles come as he deals with blowback from India over a new map of the Himalayan country that includes a disputed area claimed by both India and Nepal. India had been a dominant force in Nepal until recently, when China’s involvement began to grow.