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By Our Reporter
The ruling Communist Party of Nepal has been in a difficult situation after the immature statement issued by one of its chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Venezuela issue.
Dahal had issued the statement when Prime Minister Oli was in Switzerland prompting the US government to seek explanation from Nepal on the statement.
Although the government tried to correct the statement, Dahal and Oli have been exchanging words over the statement with Prime Minister Oli terming the statement as a slip of the words and Dahal claiming that the statement was official.
The Venezuela case had shown two lines in the CPN which is yet to be fully united. Moreover, change of the camp has been noticed after the case with general secretary Bishnu Poudel, who was close to PM Oli, siding Dahal on the issue. When the former Maoists are supporting Dahal, there has been a division among the former UML, indicating a presence of the clear two lines in the ruling party.
Venezuela rarely figured in Nepal’s foreign policy but this scenario got changed following Dahal’s statement full of undiplomatic words.
On January 25, Dahal issued the statement siding with the embattled regime of Nicolas Maduro but also denouncing the United States for what he called “interference” and “imperialist move” in the Latin American nation as the superpower recognised Juan Guaido as president.
Since then, Oli and Dahal have appeared to be at loggerheads. In a television talk, PM Oli said the statement [from Dahal] could have waited until he returned. “If I were here, there would not have been such a statement on Venezuela,” Oli said. “It was a slip on the part of Prachanda,” he added.
Oli’s remarks, terming Dahal’s statement “a slip”, however, came days after the ruling party issued another statement, as decided by its secretariat meeting, calling it the NCP’s official stance on Venezuela politics.
But a day after Oli’s appearance on state TV, Dahal struck back. “The secretariat has spoken, and his is the official statement.
Oli’s UML and Dahal’s Maoist party had decided to unite in October 2017.But even after months, the official unification process of the party—management of the rank and file and distribution of leadership at all levels—is yet to complete. Now the Venezuela case has further pushed away the unification process as many former UML leaders think that Dahal’s statement put the government in a difficult position.
The Prime Minister feared the statement might be spoilsports for the investment summit to be held in Kathmandu in March.