Kathmandu, Oct 17: The second day of the CPN-UML Central Committee meeting (October 16) saw growing criticism of party chair KP Sharma Oli. During the meeting held at the Rambahadur Mahal in Bhanimandal, Lalitpur, which began on Wednesday (October 15), several central leaders pressed Oli to resign. Despite Oli’s attempt to calm dissent by proposing the party’s 11th General Convention for December 12–14, central members openly demanded new leadership.
Central Committee member Surendra Manandhar said Oli had failed to connect the party with the public and urged him to resign. “The key task is to link the party with people-centered politics. Since the chairperson has failed to do so, it has become a historic necessity to prevent further damage to the country, the movement, and the party. He should trust his comrades, resign, and ensure collective leadership,” Manandhar stated in his written proposal.
Member Rachana Khadka suggested Oli should now serve as the party’s guardian. “Those claiming to be alternatives in national politics are not real alternatives; they are mere instruments of conspiracy. UML remains the true political force. To strengthen it, the chairman should assume the role of a guardian. That would preserve his contribution to the party and the nation,” Khadka said.
Another member, Prakash Bahadur Shah, sharply questioned Oli’s leadership. He said it was time to decide whether to rebuild or destroy the party. “The leadership must make a decisive move. The chairperson should be ready for sacrifice if the situation demands it, as others will follow his lead,” Shah said. He blamed excessive power concentration and politicization of the state for the party’s current crisis and called for a restructuring of policies and leadership.
Rabi Koirala also said Oli should step aside for the party’s reorganization, while Krishna Thapa emphasized the need for internal restructuring.
Member Parshuram Adhikari demanded an objective review of the dissatisfaction seen during lower-level conventions. He proposed holding a separate meeting dedicated to criticism and self-evaluation among leaders.
Krishna Bhakta Pokharel called for an honest review of the party’s response to the Gen Z movement. “Where did we fail? This was a domestic and foreign conspiracy, but dusting ourselves off and moving on is not enough. We need serious reflection and change beginning from the leadership,” Pokharel said. He warned that if this meeting produced routine, superficial outcomes like in the past, “time will not wait for us.”
He added, “Our party introduced internal democracy. Yet we made factions our ladder to power. This meeting should show that the UML can adapt to the times.”
Leaders Ganesh Khanal, Mamata Giri, Narayan Silwal, Jhapad Rawal, and Ganesh Pahadi also spoke on the need for party reorganization.
Meanwhile, many leaders called for renewing former President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s party membership. Most of those demanding Oli’s resignation also supported the call for her renewal. Even some leaders close to Oli backed the idea. In addition, several members, including Prakash Bahadur Shah and Jhapad Rawal, urged that leaders like Bhim Rawal be brought back to the party and given responsibilities.

-People's News Monitoring Service