UML leader Vidya Bhattarai resigned as Education Minister on 8th Baisakh due to discomfort in working. Most of the UML leaders commented that Bhattarai had resigned while the teachers' movement was going on and had 'run away from the field'. But some women leaders, including vice president Ashtalakshmi Shakya, commented that she had "raised her moral strength" by resigning. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli expressed his displeasure at the Secretariat meeting on Sunday regarding Vice President Shakya's statement.

Asserting that Bhattarai is not troubled as Shakya wrote in his social media status, Oli said, "He has resigned because he is unable to work." In the meeting, Shakya said that she had made public her opinion that the outgoing education minister was honest and qualified.

When the Prime Minister asked about his status, Shakya replied, 'I wrote why Vidya had to resign when the teachers' movement was going on, she is an honest and good person, the Prime Minister made her the Minister of Education, she should not have resigned, there are many women leaders in UML, it is not easy for women to join politics, I said that women leaders should not be disturbed.'

Shakya should be able to openly discuss every issue within the party She told "What we think should be told to you (President Oli), what you think should be told to us," she said in the meeting, "Criticism is the basis for strengthening the party, the practice of speaking openly in the party should be developed, the heart of a communist should be broad." Why did Education Minister Vidya Bhattarai have to resign when the teachers' movement was going on? Vidya Bhattarai has to resign because he is a good leader who is capable, honest, morally high. Why was he not helped?' She wrote on social media, 'Comrade Vidya's resignation has not weakened his moral ground, but made it higher. Comrade Vidya, may your faith and morals always be an inspiration for everyone.' After Bhattarai resigned as a minister, UML central member Rachna Khadka supported him by keeping his picture. "As easy as it is to be worthy or honest, it is many times more difficult to be both worthy and honest, you are both worthy and honest sister," she wrote. While there is a shortage of leaders who hold different opinions within the UML, some women leaders have been daring to express their opinion against some decisions.

Recently, Bhattarai resigned as the Prime Minister of her own party and became uncomfortable to work. After her husband Rabindra Adhikari died in a helicopter accident on February 15, 2071, Bhattarai, who left teaching and became active in politics, became the education minister last June. Shortly after becoming a minister, she had been telling close leaders that she was not comfortable working. 

"Since three months of becoming a minister, Vidya has been saying that she is uncomfortable to work, recently, when the teachers' movement was going on, that discomfort increased, then she resigned and did a silent rebellion," says a female leader of UML.

Bhattarai has not publicly stated the reason for his resignation. But she had been 'sharing' the difficulties of that time with the close leaders. The distance learning program under the Ministry of Education was taken under the Prime Minister's Office in the first week of November without Bhattarai's consent. It was tried to run distance learning program through private company 'Ambition Guru', which conducts online preparation classes including SEE and public services. The distance education program produces and broadcasts school-level online classes including SEE. Bhattarai disagreed when the government distance learning program was prepared to be given to the private company 'Ambition Guru' owned by the Prime Minister's unpaid information expert Asghar Ali. The distance learning program, which was taken under the office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, was returned to the Ministry of Education after two weeks. "Vidya refused to bring the distance education program to Ambison Guru," says a leader close to him, "even after Vidya refused, the Prime Minister's team decided to give the distance education program to Ambison Guru."

Standing committee member Binda Pandey and central member Ushakiran Timsena, who disagreed with the decision to create a central office on October 25, were asked for an explanation last October. The central secretariat meeting on December 10 suspended him from his duties for 6 months as the explanations given by the two leaders were not satisfactory. Although the suspension was decided, a formal letter was not given. 

In the secretariat meeting on Sunday, there was a discussion about lifting the suspension of the two leaders, but no decision was reached. Vice Presidents Shakya along with Yuvraj Gyawali and Surendra Pandey were interested in lifting the suspension, but President Oli refrained. "We have to go to the meeting today, we will discuss it in the next meeting," Oli said.

Pandey and Timsena were suspended for publicizing the idea that a central office should not be created from donations. Even though there was pressure from the leadership to self-criticize at that time, the two leaders gave an explanation with the argument that 'it is not right to make a central office out of donations'. They were suspended as the answer was not satisfactory. 

UML President and Prime Minister Oli and suspended leader Pandey had a meeting on Baisakh 2 in Baluwatar. Pandey says that Oli asked him to work in the party during the meeting. "I don't know that the suspension was reviewed," she says, "In that meeting, the president asked me to work in the party." But what to do when there is no suspension review?' 

Suspended central member Ushakiran Timsena says she is speaking based on ideological values. "We have been speaking on the basis of what we have learned in the movement and political struggle," she says.

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You must dare to speak inside the party

Ashtalakshmi Shakya, vice-president of UML

leader Vidya Bhattarai, did you raise a question within the party about the reason for resigning as education minister?  , I have now questioned why Vidya had to resign from social media. I put the same thing in the secretariat meeting on Sunday. I respectfully put my words before the President and the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister also listened to me. We must dare to speak our words in the party. 

• But there seems to be a shortage of leaders who hold different views within the UML?

requires cordiality within the party, not factionalism. Our main thing is the idea. You should have your own opinion. Ideas should not be allowed to be hollow in politics. If there is any dispute, it should be resolved through discussion. We have also said in Mission 084 that there should be more open discussions to strengthen the party.

• Some women leaders, including you, had to face criticism when they expressed their opinion in UML, didn't they?

I put what I think is right for debate and discussion. In the past, there used to be disputes in UML, but they were resolved through discussion. There is no need to follow any leader in the party, ideas should lead the party. Organizational discipline should be maintained. Pushpalal Shrestha, the founder of CPN, said that where the idea is weak, there is factionalism.