Nepal's CPN (Maoist Centre) asks its ministers in Oli-led govt to resign en-masse

Nepal's CPN (Maoist Centre) led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Sunday asked its ministers in Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli's government to resign en masse for breaching party discipline, amid their reluctance to quit the Cabinet.

This is the second time the the splinter faction of the Nepal Communist Party has instructed its ministers in the Oli government to resign from their posts.

The Central Committee meeting of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) on Sunday asked Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa and Energy Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi to resign en masse for breaching party discipline, My Republica newspaper reported.

Earlier on Saturday, the party recalled its ministers from the Cabinet and directed all its leaders nominated at the CPN-UML Central Committee to make their positions clear within 24 hours.

However, all ministers belonging to the CPN (MC) including Home Minister Thapa and Energy Minister Rayamajhi seem non-committal to the party's decision as of now, the paper said.

As the ministers belonging to the party are seen reluctant to tender their resignations, the party will now write to them in person to do so, said Ganesh Shah, a central committee member of the CPN (MC).

Sunday's meeting also discussed taking action against its cabinet ministers in the government, according to party leaders.

Industry Minister Lekhraj Bhatta, Urban Development Minister Prabhu Sah and Labor Minister Gaurishankar Chaudhari are parliamentarians belonging to the CPN (MC), while Water Supply Minister Mani Thapa and Youth Minister Dawa Lama are central leaders of the party.

As per the legal provision, lawmakers will lose their seats in the upper house and the lower house of Parliament if they choose to leave the party or their party decides to expel them from the party.

On Friday, the Central Committee meeting of the CPN (UML) led by Prime Minister Oli had nominated 23 leaders of Maoist Centre, including the ministers to the party's central committee which the faction opposing him has said is against the norms of the party.

Nepal's Election Commission on Tuesday asked the CPN (UML) led by Oli and the CPN (Maoist Center) led by Prachanda to come up with a new name and election symbol of the party if they decide to merge their parties again after the Supreme Court quashed the 2018 unification of the two parties.

The CPN (UML) and CPN (Maoist Centre) merged in May 2018 to form a unified Nepal Communist Party following the victory of their alliance in the 2017 general elections.