CPN-UML withdraws support to the government

Kathmandu, Feb 27: The Communist Party of Nepal–Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), the largest constituent of the government, has decided to withdraw the support to the Pushpa Kamal Dahal government, something that was being anticipated.

The meeting of the CPN-UML central secretariat chaired by K P Sharma Oli in the morning decided to withdraw the support that will automatically lead to the resignation of its ministers from the council of ministers.

The CPN-UML decision comes at variance with its earlier decision that despite the two parties fielding separate candidates for the presidential poll, the UML will continue to remain part of the government at least till the March 9 election for the Head of the state.

The change of mind appears to have been triggered by Prime Minister Dahal’s action yesterday to stop Foreign Affairs Minister Bimala Rai Paudyal from going to Geneva as head of the Nepali delegation to the UN human right council meeting at the last minute, and sending Gobinda Bandi in her place.

Bandi, a pro-west human right activist, has of late turned into a Maoist supporter lobbying for general amnesty to all the human right violators of the conflict period in Nepal.

With the withdrawal of the CPN-UML, Dahal not only needs to seek a vote of confidence in the House, but also needs to have his ministry expanded, most likely getting the Nepali Congress into it.

Last week, the Pro-monarchy Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) had recalled its ministers and withdrawn its support to the government.

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