CPN Chairmen KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal have resumed dialogue after a long gap.
The warring chairmen had stopped meetings after the internal dispute escalated. But Dahal reached Baluwatar Thursday morning to talk with Oli.
General Secretary Bishnu Paudel, Chief Minister of Province 5 Shankar Pokharel and standing committee member Janardan Sharma are also present in the meeting, according to a Baluwatar source.
Prime Minister (PM) Oli on Wednesday had claimed in a television program that the internal dispute will be resolved within five days.
The two chairmen had last talked on August 4. Senior leader Jhala Nath Khanal and standing committee member Subash Chandra Nembang had also attended the meeting. The four leaders had been speaking daily for three days but had not met after August 4.
Oli had then proposed to convene secretariat meeting to resolve the intra-party dispute figuring that he has majority in the nine-strong secretariat after apparent volte-face by Vice-chairman Bam Dev Gautam or at least counting on Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa to remain neutral and not speak against him during secretariat meeting. Dahal and others have been calling for resumption of standing committee meeting due to their overwhelming majority there.
The two sides had remained adamant on their respective stands during the meetings on those three days. Dahal had met Vice-chairman Gautam at the latter's residence in Bhainsepati earlier on August 4 before the meeting of four leaders at Baluwatar.
Gautam had given a six-point advice to the warring chairmen that largely favors Oli to stop the internal dispute in the party on July 28. Oli had reached Gautam's residence later in the evening with wife Radhika Shakya and was joined by CPN General Secretary Bishnu Paudel in what Baluwatar source insisted was a family gathering.
Dahal had visited Gautam on August 4 to apparently win back Gautam to ensure that Oli is again in minority even in the secretariat.
Gautam had proposed that Oli should serve the full term as prime minister (PM), Oli also should remain chairman until the next general convention, and the general convention should be held in consensus. He had proposed that Dahal should remain chairman with all the executive rights until the general convention.
The latest proposal appeared as another volte-face by Gautam who has been switching camps in the past few years. Oli had proposed to make Gautam the PM to break the alliance against him in April end when he was similarly in a tight spot.
