Biplab ponders next steps as differences with Dahal deepen

KATHMANDU: Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) General Secretary Netra Bikram Chand, also known as Biplab, has remained active in party meetings after differences with Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal heightened.

The party recently held its central committee meeting in Shivagadhi of Kapilvastu. Biplab presented a political and organizational paper titled ‘Special Tasks in the Special Situation’ during the meeting.

A letter from CPN stated that the meeting had a serious discussion on arrest warrants issued for its leaders and the delay by Maoist Center Chairman Dahal in giving momentum to the Socialist Front. “Dahal announced the front, labeling it as a journey to socialism. But he is not paying much attention to it these days,” the leader said.

The leader alleged that Dahal announced the Front just to save his government.

Leaders close to Biplab said Dahal is doing nothing to withdraw the arrest warrants.

The Kathmandu District Court on December 4 issued a 35-day notice for Biplab, Khadga Bahadur Bishwakarma, Hemanta Prakash Oli, Maila Lama, and Raju Karki to surrender to the court.

The CPN launched a protest after the arrest warrants were issued. “We had signed an agreement with the government. What is the need to issue an arrest warrant now?” Biplab questioned after arrest warrants were issued.

Second-rung leaders of the party, who met with Prime Minister Dahal, expressed dissent on the decision to issue arrest warrants. CPN leader Bishwakarma also held discussions with Socialist Front leaders like CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal and Janata Samajbadi Party Chairman Upendra Yadav.

“CPN leader Bishwakarma has expressed dissatisfaction over the arrest warrants issued for their leaders,” Unified Socialist Secretary Jeevan Ram Shrestha said.

The decision taken by the central committee meeting will set the future course of action for the CPN. Central members of the party are holding group discussions on the report and putting forth their views.

Before holding the central committee meeting, Biplab called a meeting of the party’s politburo and sought its suggestions.

The Socialist Front and the government are keenly following the developments in CPN after the party called its central committee meeting. Unified Socialist Chairman Nepal, who is also the coordinator of the Socialist Front, has issued a statement formally objecting to the arrest warrants issued for CPN leaders. Nepal issued the statement nearly two weeks after the issuance of the arrest warrant, only after the CPN leaders expressed their disagreements.

Unified Socialist Secretary Shrestha, however, claimed that the Front couldn’t make its position clear on the issue due to a delay in convening its meeting.

CPN, which was waging an armed struggle against the government, came into the political stream after signing a three-point agreement with the government in March 2021.

In the agreement, the government had agreed to lift a ban on the group, release all their party members and cadres in jail, and drop all cases against them. Similarly, the CPN had agreed to give up all violence and resolve any issues through talks.