As many as 15 leaders of the Naya Shakti Party Nepal including Devendra Poudel have asked coordinator Baburam Bhattarai to forge alliances with pro-change forces including the CPN (Maoist Centre).

The leaders have charged Bhattarai with derailing the party while maintaining a coterie of academicians. The leaders who joined the chorus to warn Bhattarai are Kumar Poudel, Mahendra Paswan, Bamdev Chhetri, Mukti Pradhan, Sushila Shripaili, Pasang Sherpa, Balawati Sharma, Sharmili Lama, Tilak Thapa, Amardhoj Lama, Bahid Ansari, Lal Kiran, Ratna Rana and Rabindra Sunuwar.

Organising a press meet on Thursday, Devendra said the leaders would appeal to all forces for alliance to ensure that the changes brought about by the movements of the past decade are safeguarded. The results of the local polls and the latest developments threaten the historic political changes, Poudel said, adding that they were also ready for unity with like-minded forces such as the Maoist Centre, the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal and the parties led by former revolutionaries Mohan Baidya or Netra Bikram Chand.

One of the leaders challenging Bhattarai, Mukti Pradhan said they were not for deserting the Naya Shakti but fighting within for adopting the line of Marxism which was diluted by party members coming from different walks of life.

On Wednesday, Bhattarai entrusted Ganga Shrestha with overseeing the party’s organisational department.