An emergency meeting of the commission Sunday took a decision to this effect as a group of leaders close to Gautam had emailed a memorandum to UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal Saturday and later made it public. [break]
In the memorandum featuring the names of 60 party members including parliamentarians and central committee members, they have demanded the prime minister´s resignation.
Following the memorandum campaign, the party on Sunday issued instructions to its leaders, parliamentarians and cadres not to become confused or misled by public statements coming from Gautam.
"This [memorandum affair] is against the party´s statute and system. We have decided to warn and direct him to immediately clarify before the commission what circumstances led a senior leader like him to take such a step in contravention of the party statute," Amrit Bohara, chief of the commission, told Republica.
He said several wings and district chapters of the party across the country have pressed the commission to take disciplinary action against Gautam. "Despite differences of opinion over the affair, the commission will take an independent decision," he said.
Different wings and chapters of the party lobbied for and against Gautam. Scores of UML youths and members of party sister organizations gathered at party headquarters at Balkhu Monday afternoon and chanted slogans pressing for action against the vice-chairman.
Chief of party youth wing Youth Federation Nepal (YFN), Mahesh Basnet, demanded action against Gautam for allegedly giving continuity to his activities against the UML. Basnet has accused Gautam of acting in favor of the main opposition UCPN (Maoist).
"His [Gautam´s] activities have only benefited rightists and the Maoists. While he is physically with the UML, his heart is somewhere else. Therefore we request the party central committee to take action against Gautam and others led by him," Basnet said in a statement issued Monday.
Rajendra Rajthala, chairman of CPN-UML Bhaktapur district chapter, has also demanded action against Gautam. "We strongly demand that the party expel Gautam and his supporters," Rajthala said in a memorandum submitted to Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal. The party´s Tanahu district chapter is another body that has sought action against him.
Meanwhile, issuing a separate statement, party central committee member Yogesh Bhattarai, who is also coordinator of the Youth Force (YF), has urged the government and security agencies to identify and take action against those who threatened to take Gautam´s life for giving a public statement against the present government.
According to Bhattarai, the senior leader was threatened over the telephone by some people who identified themselves as YF members. He has also urged Gautam to express his opinions as per the party´s system and traditions.
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