Oli Said the US and India Were Pressuring Him, Jana Aastha Reports

Dragon Media Correspondent

CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli said the United States and India were pressuring him when questioned about weaknesses within his party, Jana Aastha Weekly reported, quoting a vice-chair who had met him before a Standing Committee meeting.

The report said Oli had not publicly acknowledged any shortcomings since the Gen Z protests led to his departure from government. In internal discussions, however, he had raised both internal weaknesses and foreign interference, the vice-chair was quoted as saying.

The report also described disagreements within the party over leadership restructuring following its electoral defeat. Oli said the seating arrangement at a Standing Committee meeting, where General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel was seated below the vice-chairs, had been corrected because the previous arrangement had not been appropriate.

Responding to questions about the UML’s decision to make the reinstatement of the House of Representatives a political issue, Oli argued that the matter remained before the court and that the legal and constitutional grounds for reinstatement remained until a ruling was issued, Jana Aastha reported. The party has identified defending the Constitution and preparing for local and provincial elections as its immediate tasks, the report said.

Oli also criticized the government’s arrests and detentions at a Standing Committee meeting, saying that taking people into custody without arrest warrants and seizing their mobile phones were unlawful actions, according to the report.