Proposing party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal asthe future prime ministerial candidate, the hardline faction of the UCPN (Maoist) has demanded immediate resignation of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai.
The faction, led by Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya, said the move will pave way for a national unity government.
The hardliners also said they will not attend a meeting of the party's Standing Committee (SC), which has been stalled since the past two weeks, until Dahal agrees to call back Bhattarai from the government.
Dahal, however, publicly said he is not interested in becoming the PM in the transitional phase. A leader close to him, however, said Dahal will take up the top job if the opposition parties and the Baidya faction urge him to lead the peace and constitution drafting processes.
The SC meeting has been postponed several times owing to differences in the party over changing the government. “The bone of contention in the party is the resignation of the prime minister, which Baidyaji is insisting on,” said the party's Politburo member Haribol Gajurel.
Dahal on Wednesday discussed the matter with another Vice-chairman of the party, Narayan Kaji Shrestha.
According to a top leader, Baidya has been urging Dahal to implement the party's decision to form a national consensus government at the earliest.
The Dahal and Bhattarai faction, however, is urging Baiyda to come up with alternatives before the PM steps down. The hardline faction is saying that a consensus government will be formed under Dahal once Bhattarai resigns.
“We have concluded that the Bhattarai government should go as soon as possible. We will again mount pressure on the party to call Bhattarai back,” said Politburo member Khadga Bahadur Biswokarma.
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