Delay in holding meetings of major committees in the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has irked the party leaders who have been waiting for long to discuss a host of issues, including government’s performance.

The third NCP standing committee meeting called for Monday and Tuesday had been abruptly postponed until further notice.

Leaders including Madhav Kumar Nepal and Narayan Kaji Shrestha have been complaining that the two chairpersons dominated all the decisions of the party within the nine-member party secretariat instead of allowing discussions at the standing committee. Spokesperson Shrestha had registered a note of dissent over the party’s decision-making process in the last secretariat meeting held on October.

Claiming that the two chairpersons failed to hold discussions to clear their grievances, senior leader Nepal had organised a tea reception on September 28 for standing committee members when both the chairmen were abroad. During the gathering, leader Nepal told the leaders that he hosted it to discuss party’s issues after the leadership failed to do so.

Standing committee member Yogesh Bhattarai has taken to social media to express his discontent over the delay in the standing committee meeting. “Avoiding was just a momentary solution to the problems,” Bhattarai wrote on his Facebook wall, indicating a host of outstanding issues in the party. “Let’s understand the strength of time before it is too late.”

Addressing a function in Bharatpur on Sunday, party Co-chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that the NCP was facing a big challenge internally. He was referring to the internal disputes over forming the unified committees. “Instead of thinking about oneself, party leaders and cadres should focus on ways to strengthen the party,” Dahal told party cadres.

Prime Minister and Co-Chair KP Sharma Oli’s ill health was also one of the reasons behind the delay but party leaders refused to buy it.Oli, who is not keeping well for the last few days, has been hospitalised on Monday morning. Doctors have advised him complete rest for a few days. He could not attend the tea reception the NCP hosted in the Capital

on Saturday to mark this year’s Dashain, Tihar and Chhath festivals. However, party General Secretary Bishnu Poudel claimed that Oli’s health was not the only reason for the delay.

The secretariat meeting on Thursday had formed a two-member task force of Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa and General Secretary Poudel to finalise the party’s provincial committees and work division for all 441 central committee members.

The panel was mandated to submit its report at Monday’s standing committee meeting but the two leaders have yet to complete their task. As well as assessing the government’s performance, the meeting was scheduled to finalise the unification of party’s lower committees and departments, delegate task to its central members.

Poudel claimed the party would call the standing committee meeting at the earliest, but with the Tihar festival around the corner other leaders were unconvinced. “The standing committee meeting is possible only after Tihar,” said Devendra Poudel, a standing committee member.