The meeting among Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal and party senior leader KP Sharma Oli discussed at length the faction-ridden intra-party politics that all began with the party´s general convention held in Butwal last February.
The conflict reached a peak when the two factions - one led by Khanal and the other by Oli - formed parallel committees in various districts including Kathmandu, Mahottari and Dhanusha.
"We discussed the party´s internal problems," the prime minister told mediapersons after the meeting. "There has been agreement to take the party ahead unitedly."
The meeting, held at the initiative of UML youth leaders Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, Arun Nepal, Yogesh Bhattarai, Ghana Shyam Bhusal and Rajendra Gautam, comes at a time when relations between party Chairman Khanal and senior leader Oli are becoming very strained.
The party was also deeply divided over the toppling of the Maoist-led government. Oli in alliance with Nepal was for withdrawing from the then government while the Khanal-faction was against, and the Oli-Nepal alliance prevailed. During the party´s politburo election, the two factions prepared separate lists of candidates and contested the poll on that basis.
The leaders of the two factions are in a virtual war of words and have been busy publicly spitting venom at each other. Oli also registered a proposal to "purge the party of those who were out to dismantle it".
UML Chairman Khanal said that the meeting was a good start for resolving differences in the party. "The process has just started," Khanal said when asked if differences with the Oli faction were now settled.
Khanal said the meeting discussed ways to unite the party both at the center and at lower levels in a wholesome fashion. He expressed hope that everything would be settled gradually.
Youth leader Bhusal said that the top leaders held discussions on the overall problems of the party rather than focusing on any particular problem. "Almost all things will be settled now," he added.
Bhusal said the party had some "technical" and "procedural" problems to resolve. "The discussion was centered on resolving the problems."
Responding to queries by journalists, senior leader Oli said they had an open discussion on various issues pertaining to the party. "The process of resolving the differences will move in positive way," he said. "The meeting was aimed at facilitating the environment [of dialogue to resolve differences]," he added.
Asked if the exchange of criticisms between the rival factions will see an end following the meeting, Oli said, "The meeting has helped to move in a direction we will not have to engage in verbal duels."
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