Kathmandu – CPN (Unified Socialist) Honorary Leader Jhalanath Khanal and Senior Leader Bamdev Gautam spent more than two hours in talks on Saturday, focusing on the growing rift within their party.
Gautam visited Khanal at his Dallu residence around midday. Khanal’s personal secretary, Krishna Bhattarai, said the meeting began at 12:30 p.m. and ran for over two hours. According to Bhattarai, the conversation centered on internal disputes and Nepal’s current political climate.
Tensions between party chair Madhav Kumar Nepal and Khanal have been building in recent weeks. The conflict escalated after the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed a case at the Special Court against Nepal in the Patanjali land matter.
After the case was filed, Khanal publicly questioned Nepal’s moral authority to lead and urged him to step down. Since then, the two have exchanged sharp remarks at public events and through the media.
In a recent interview, Khanal said the decision to split from CPN-UML was a mistake. Nepal responded by saying there was “no place in the party” for Khanal. Gautam, who joined the Unified Socialist on July 17, has also shown signs of dissatisfaction.
He has said publicly that holding a position without actual responsibilities is unacceptable for him over the long term. Sources say Saturday’s meeting between Khanal and Gautam was a deep discussion on how to resolve dissatisfaction inside the party.
