The CC members were aggresive toward Khanal, so much so that they demanded that the chairman shouldn´t be allowed to preside over the meeting. They argued that it should be chaired by someone other than the chairman, saying he shouldn´t preside over a meeting that is to discuss taking action against himself.[break]
Mahendra Pandey, Agni Kharel, Guru Baral, Khagraj Adhikari and Krishna Gopal Shrestha insisted on making this clear beforehand. Pandey raised the issue at the beginning of the meeting and other CC members airing their views seconded him.
"Since we are discussing whether or not the CC should take action against the chairman for violating the party´s system and its decisions, he shouldn´t chair a meeting where we will be discussing that very matter," a participant quoted Kharel as saying at the meeting. "First make that clear before taking up the scheduled agenda."
They also demanded that the standing committee members provide a blow-by-blow account of what exactly happened at the standing committee meeting on Monday so that they could form their opinions on the basis of facts.
Vice-chairmen Bamdev Gautam and Ashok Rai and party Secretaries Shankar Pokharel, Bishnu Paudel and Yubaraj Gyawali then briefed the CC members about what happened Monday.
Pokharel and Paudel explained why leaders at the standing committee meeting had to insist on writing down minutes on decisions. Pokharel explained in detail the scenario of the standing committee meeting to the CC members.
"In the past, we didn´t write minutes for all the decisions that we took but the chairman not only flouted the decisions but also claimed in public that such decisions were never taken," a leader quoted Paudel as saying at the meeting.
According to the secretaries, Prime Minister Khanal and Gautam had left the standing committee meeting when the top leaders were discussing the language to be used in the minutes.
"The party chairman or any other leader who is chairing or just participating in the meeting shouldn´t walk out in the midst of the meeting just because he senses that it is taking a decision that would be unfavorable to himself," Paudel said at the CC meeting.
Party Secretary Gyawali, who is believed to be loyal to Khanal, argued that it was true both the party chairman and vice-chairman Gautam had violated party discipline. But he urged the leaders not to blow a party internal matter out of proportion. "It´s not a time to fuel party disputes but to stand united and deal with national issues," Gyawali said at the meeting.
Gautam was the one leader who strongly backed Khanal at the CC meeting as was also the case at the standing committee meeting on Monday. He accused other party leaders of hindering the prime minister from working independently. According to one leader, he also urged the prime minister, who didn´t address the meeting citing health reasons, not to remain silent.
"You have to speak at the meeting. We are here to care for you even if you should collapse," a leader quoted him as saying. The leader described Gautam´s presentation as more provocative and not reconciliatory. Minister Ghanshyam Bhusal also backed the prime minister.
After listening to the views of some of the standing committee and CC members, the party leaders decided to hold the next round meeting only on Tuesday.
CC member Yogesh Bhattarai, however, rubbished the rival faction´s calls for action against the party chairman.
"Discussions over the matter have just begun and the members will definitely present arguments for and against the chairman´s actions but calls for taking action against him are just media propaganda," Bhattarai told Republica.
According to him, the leaders have already agreed to do some homework in the next two days and calm the situation down before the meeting resumes Tuesday.
"Some leaders are claiming that the CC should recall the prime minister from the government. But this propaganda has already run out of steam as the prime minister himself announced he is to step down by August 13 if there is no tangible progress in the peace process," he said.
Khanal´s rival faction led by former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and KP Sharma Oli felt bolstered mainly after the latest standing committee meeting as an overwhelming majority in the party´s top body stood against Khanal´s move to induct Maoist ministers into the cabinet.
Leaders from the faction claim that the party´s all powerful body, the CC, may force Khanal to undertake self-criticism or recommend any other action.
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