Kathmandu, November 13: Senior leaders of the Unified Socialist Party, apart from party founder Madhav Kumar Nepal, have called for stopping the planned merger with the Maoists to prevent the party from splitting.

The central committee meeting, underway in Dhumbarahi since Wednesday, saw former Prime Minister Jhalnath Khanal, General Secretary Ghanshyam Bhusal, and other leaders urging a pause in the merger process. Khanal, who returned from Delhi where his wife is receiving treatment after a fire accident, said he attended the meeting specifically to oppose the merger.

“I came because I thought this would be the last central committee meeting before merging with the Maoists,” Khanal said, stressing that joining now would weaken the party ideologically. He added that siding with the Maoists while the party is already fragile would amount to dissolution.

Khanal also called for Madhav Nepal’s resignation, arguing that party reorganization is necessary. He recalled having previously advised resignation over corruption allegations and repeated the call at Wednesday’s meeting.

Senior leader Veduram Bhusal briefed the committee on the merger’s progress, stating that key issues such as the new party’s name, election symbol, organizational adjustments, and guiding principles had largely been agreed upon. A committee led by Bhusal, including Pramesh Hamal and Prakash Jwala, had negotiated with various factions and reached near-final agreement with the Maoists, prompting the central committee meeting.

However, Khanal and Bhusal’s supporters expressed strong disagreement. “After senior leaders spoke, 31 committee members raised their voices against the merger,” a participant said. Bhusal, providing a theoretical analysis, highlighted leadership failures during the Gen Z protests and said the merger cannot proceed without addressing current crises. He suggested that the main issue is ensuring the party reflects the movement’s mandate against corruption.

Bhusal and other leaders argued that the merger should happen only after reorganization of the leadership. “If the current leadership guarantees stepping aside before elections, then a merger can proceed. Otherwise, the party cannot contest elections under the present leadership,” Bhusal said.

The central committee reflected three main positions: the founding group opposing immediate merger, a faction supporting unity, and a third urging collective decision-making. Leaders like Vijay Paudel, Laxman Lamsal, Ashesh Ghimire, Krishnakumar Bishwakarma, and Premal Khanal emphasized that left unity should follow party reorganization.

Meanwhile, leaders supporting Madhav Nepal insisted on respecting his decision and safeguarding leadership. Pramesh Hamal, Rajendra Pande, and Jagannath Khatriwala spoke for unity, stressing that a respectful merger is possible, while Sarmila Paudel, Laxman Kunwar, Yeshu Lama, and Bhim Rasaili also called for following Madhav Nepal’s lead.

A third voice in the committee, represented by Krishna Bisi and others, urged that whatever decision is taken, it must be made collectively, avoiding fragmented choices.

The meeting highlighted deep divisions within the party over merging with the Maoists and the conditions under which unity can proceed.

People’s News Monitoring Service

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People’s News Monitoring Service