Disgusting political drama

 The Himalayan Times

12 August 2021

Disgusting political drama

The on-going political drama between the two factions of the CPN-UML for the last one-and-a-half years has been the most disgusting and unwanted political event in the country’s political history. The factions led by K.P.Oli and Madhav-Khanal continue to blame each other for the on-going political mess and even for unseating the then NCP’s almost two-thirds majority government. The then Oli-led government was widely criticized for its ministers’ heavy involvement in corruption cases while purchasing medical equipment and vaccines and failure in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the untimely deaths of thousands of people.

 

The second-rung leaders of these two factions continue putting in efforts to convince Oli and Nepal to reconcile ditching their personal and political indifference for the sake of party unity “Nepal-Khanal faction keen of UML unity” (THT, August 6, Page 1). A few days ago, a 10-point unity proposal prepared by the joint team of both the factions was thought to be the turning point for them to leave behind their differences and come to under one roof. It did not work as expected.

The reason behind it seems to be the political ego of both Oli and Nepal resulting in a trust deficit between them, which is the main hurdle in uniting both the factions “Unity remains ever elusive for CPN-UML” (THT, August 7, Page 2). Before the downfall of the Oli led government, the street protests led by Nepal-Khanal faction against its own government and joining hands with the opposition alliance in the latter period were a breach of party discipline and principal, resulting in a deep political and personal trust deficit between Oli and Nepal. The best option for them would be to take their own political courses in the days to come rather than playing an unwanted and disgusting political drama at  a time when the nation and the people are badly struggling with the CODIV-19 pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 10,000, a figure which is very high given the size of the population.

Rai Biren Bangdel

Maharjgunj