KATHMANDU: Nepal Samajwadi Party (NSP) Chairman Mahindra Raya Yadav and Co-chairman Ganga Narayan Shrestha have given up their stance for immediate unification with CPN (Maoist Center).
Yadav and Shrestha had been putting pressure on Chairman Dr. Baburam Bhattarai for immediate amalgamation with the Maoist Center. However, Bhattarai’s dinner-time discussion with Yadav and Shrestha recently has bridged differences among the three leaders, an NSP leader told Himal Press.
According to the leader, Bhattarai held a serious discussion with the two leaders and convinced them not to go for unification immediately.
After the discussion held on November 20, NSP held a meeting of its office-bearers and central committee.
“Yadav and Shrestha changed their tone in the meeting of office-bearers and the central committee. Before the dinner meeting, the two leaders had been threatening that they would revolt in the party if it is not ready for unification with the Maoist Center,” the leader added.
Both Yadav and Shrestha didn’t speak anything about party unification in the two meetings. They only talked about the expansion and strengthening of the party organization.
While Yadav is the Minister for Drinking Water in the federal government led by Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Shrestha is the internal affairs minister in Bagmati Province Government led by Maoist Center’s Shalikram Jamma Kattel.
Yadav and Shrestha have entrusted the responsibility of holding unification talks with the Maoist Center to Bhattarai. Bhattarai has been repeatedly holding discussions on unification with Maoist Center Chairman Dahal.
“Had Bhattarai not held a discussion with Yadav and Bhattarai, there would have been two ideological lines in the party, and the party would have been split by now,” the leader said. “Chairman Bhattarai has saved the party from a split.”
Another NSP leader said the new development in the party has encouraged party leaders and cadres. “We are naturally excited. However, we will have to join hands with parties sharing a similar ideology sooner or later,” he said. “Our journey toward alternative politics hasn’t ended.”
