Kathmandu: Former Secretary of the CPN (Unified Socialist) Ram Kumari Jhakri has said the party is in crisis and urgently needs restructuring. Addressing the Lumbini Province assembly of the party-affiliated Youth Association on Saturday, she blamed Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal for the crisis and called for the party’s reorganization.

Following the suspension of Nepal’s parliamentary membership due to a corruption case related to Patanjali land, Jhakri argued that the situation now demands an early general convention. “We cannot carry a political corpse on our shoulders any longer,” she said, directly targeting Nepal.

“If we are serious about building this party, we must rise above crises like these. Everyone knows the party is in trouble—and the chairman himself is at the center of it. The way forward is not retreat, but reorganization,” she said. “Let’s restructure through an early general convention and elect a new leadership. Legal and constitutional questions have been raised against the chairman. Many other members are facing similar issues. It’s time we stop dragging dead weight.”

Jhakri also stressed that new leadership should emerge from the convention hall, not through prearranged committees or manipulated voter lists. “If we truly want reform, let’s hold an early general convention. Let leadership emerge transparently—any of you can lead,” she said. “But if the party is to be shaped by those handpicked through voter list manipulation or ceremonial rituals, then this party cannot stand.”

Once a close ally of Madhav Nepal during the UML split, Jhakri’s relationship with him has since deteriorated.

The corruption case filed by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) implicates former Prime Minister Nepal in approving the illegal purchase of excess land by Patanjali Yogpeeth during his tenure. The Special Court recently ordered his release on Rs 3.5 million bail, which he secured through a bank guarantee.

According to the court, Patanjali had acquired land beyond the legal ceiling, and Nepal, as prime minister, had approved its use solely for the stated purpose, forbidding resale. The court’s order reads, “Considering the defendant’s former official position and pending full examination of the evidence, he is to be released on Rs 3.5 million bail or equivalent bank guarantee. If unable to pay, he shall be remanded in custody under Rule 30(2) of the Special Court Regulations, 2080.”

Chairman Nepal has been summoned to appear before the court on Shrawan 13 (July 28).