Nepal PM Oli expelled from party

Kathmandu: Amid burning political strife in the country, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has been expelled from the ruling Nepal Communist Party. The Standing Committee meeting of the splinter group of the said party led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal and former prime minister Madhav Nepal stripped Oli of his general membership on Sunday.

The splinter faction leadership reportedly stated that the Prime Minister has no authority to tamper with the country's constitution and demanded an explanation for his 'rash decisions' in the recent weeks. Oli ignored the written query which led to this move, said Dahal.

"We waited for long. He (Oli) didn't reply to us. Our latest decision comes in line by exercising the executive rights provided by the Central Committee of the party," informed Narayankaji Shrestha, spokesperson of the splinter faction.

Last week, two senior party leaders had addressed a mass meeting in Kathmandu warning the termination of Oli's party membership. In December 2020, Oli made a controversial move of dissolving the Parliament. Acting on the Prime Minister's recommendation, the president ordered fresh elections in April and May 2021. This infuriated many including the splinter faction of the ruling party. However, latest reports say the country's poll body has refused to recognize the removal of Oli from the ruling party.