In a bid to contest the establishment faction, the Madhav Nepal camp on Sunday organised a separate gathering of the CPN-UML at Khusibu Nayabazar to form a parallel Kathmandu district committee. 

Amid the increasing factional feud in the Kathmandu district committee in the run up to the local level polls, UML leaders from both the factions are trying to find a solution to the problem through a standing committee meeting.

The Nepal faction called the meeting to administer oath of office to 38 new members inducted to the Kathmandu district committee after the Krishna Rai-led establishment faction refused to accept the decision of the Province committee led by Asta Laxmi Shakya. A taskforce formed by Province 3 committee had recently restructured the existing district committee under Krishna Rai with Basanta Manandhar as co-convener, Bidhya Sundar Shakya as secretary.

The proposed co-convener, Basanta Manandhar, said “the programme was reduced to cadres gathering after Acting party Chairman Bamdev Gautam and Vice-chairman Bhim Rawal urged them not to continue with the oath-taking ceremony and promised to sort out the conflict through standing committee”.

Addressing the function, senior leader Madhav Nepal said the internal struggle within a party was a common phenomena but that should be sorted out through discussions. Senior party leader Jhalanath Khanal and Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai also spoke on the occasion.

Claiming that the gathering inaugurated by the party chairman on March 31 was the only authentic meeting, Ram Bir Manandhar, a leader from the KP Oli faction, said the issues would be finalised by the party standing committee on Monday.