Before going to Jhapa, she was asked in Biratnagar - 'When will your political journey begin?' She looked back at Pulukka and said, 'It will come soon.' The next question was - 'When will you become the President of UML?' She replied, 'When the time comes.'
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After returning from a 10-day visit to China that started on May 11, former President Bidya Devi Bhandari landed in Biratnagar on the 23rd, and now UML's internal politics is heating up due to the Terai weather. Leaders and workers of UML who are missing are currently approaching Bhandari.
Being president KP Olinikat, the leader/activist who got the benefit of it is wavering from Bhandari's activism. In the past, Oli and Bhandari were fighting only between leaders and activists. This time, as the former president Bhandari and the prime minister engaged in political manipulation towards each other, the clandestine factionalism that has been brewing within the UML has only been seen on the surface.
On 24th June, Prime Minister Oli was inaugurating a community hospital in Kathari Rural Municipality of Morang. Bhandari was the chief guest at a function held in Jhapa, Oli's home district. After returning to Kathmandu, Oli made a strong statement against Bhandari at the opening ceremony of the UNRWA session. He also instructed the workers not to engage in factionalism within the party.
``So-and-so will come here, so-and-so will come, so-and-so. There was no discussion in the party. General Secretary, President, Vice President. At present, the convention has not been announced," President Oli said.
On the other hand, while returning to Kathmandu after a 6-day long visit to the East, Bhandari responded at Biratnagar Airport on Tuesday that she does not need to take permission from the UML committee and leaders to travel within the country.
'I am a person who is doing mainstream politics without factionalism. The fact that I will be the president may have raised some questions in the minds of other aspirants. I became the president of the country with the support of other leftist and regional parties as well. I don't think that the current president of UML KP Sharma Olijeu would have specifically said it to me.
Former President Bhandari was asked by reporters when he was leaving the venue after addressing the national conference of local level deputy heads in Biratnagar on Friday afternoon - when will your political journey begin? Bhandari turned around and said, 'It will come soon.' The journalist's next question was - Ex-President, you have become active in politics, when will you become the President of UML? In response to this question, she said, 'After the time comes.' After giving this answer, former President Bhandari got into the car and came straight to Jhapa.
These expressions of verbal abuse towards each other reflect the growing factionalism within the UML. Bhandari, who held the office of President for two terms, resigned from the high post after 2079. After the tenure of the President, she has been keeping quiet for some time and now she has increased her political activism.
His activism has shaken the internal equation of UML. This is his second trip to Biratnagar in the last four months. Bhandari, who was concentrated in Morang when she came to Biratnagar earlier on 14th January, this time crossed the Mawa river and reached Jhapa. UML President and Prime Minister Oli's home district Jhapa became the chief guest at an event organized under the banner of UML.
The 'radar' of Bhandari's visit this time is a bit wider. It is a different scenario from the past that he participated as a keynote speaker in the national gathering of Deputy Mayors/Vice Presidents in Biratnagar on 23rd June and became the chief guest at the official banner of UML in Jhapa the next day.
After UML appeared as a key speaker in the program organized by the Department of Science and Technology of Koshi Province, the subject of his active comeback within UML is no longer limited to speculation. UML Morang leader Vinod Dhakal, who is in a different group than Oli, said that Bhandari's activism is about to return to politics. "It seems that he intends to come back to party politics," said Dhakal, "We are trying to play a supporting role in his desire." In Jhapa, he was welcomed by party district president Prem Bahadur Giri, central vice president of Anem Sangh Menuka Kafle, head of Birtamod municipality Pavitra Mahatara Prasain, party vice president Shiv Dhungel and others. While coming to Jhapa from Biratnagar, former president Bhandari was accompanied by UML state in-charge Sherdhan Rai, state secretary Rajkumar Bhandari and joint secretary Dewan Rai. Bhandari had arrived in Jhapa to inaugurate the Koshi state-level science and technology exhibition.
While he was participating in various programs in Jhapa, he kept interacting with the district and various level leaders of the party. She inaugurated the science and technology exhibition organized by the science and technology department of UML. She was seen at the site to observe Jhapa Energy in Jhapa Shivsatakshi.
went to address a program organized by Nari Sanchar Griha in Birtamod. Rai, the former chief minister of Koshi province and the party's state in-charge Rai, who came with former president Bhandari from Biratnagar, and party vice president Tikaram Chemjong were also with him for two days. Apart from them, Jhapa's Haricharan Sivakoti, Prem Giri, Shiv Dhungel, Subas Bhattarai, Speaker's wife Tika Ghimire also walked with him. Sources say that he had separate meetings with the district level women leaders from the central leadership of the All Nepal Women's Association. From meetings and dialogues, there was talk among the workers that Bhandari's stay in Jhapa made them forget the Biratnagar gathering a few months ago.
Bhandari's activism started from Pokhara on December 2. In Pokhara, she discussed with local UML leaders and representatives of social organizations for five days like in Koshi province. Then on January 14, she visited Koshi province for a week. Soon after Koshi returned from his visit, the victory of a candidate considered close to him in the party election in Morang and his indirect influence on it began to be seen.
Biratnagar Mahanagara Committee and Biratnagar's Mangarh Drinking Water Consumer Committee elections were also won by other candidates of Oli. In Koshi province, Bhandari was supported by veteran UML leader Vinod Dhakal. Dhakal was considered very close to President Oli in the past. But after the provincial conference, he became dissatisfied with Oli. In the conference, Oli left Dhakal and made Ghanshyam Khatiwada the provincial president. Since then, the distance between Dhakal and Oli increased. Then Dhakal and others started to play a supporting role in Bhandari's activism.
After returning from Koshi, Bhandari visited Thailand on February 5. After returning from Thailand, she participated in Oli's book launch event in Kathmandu and praised Oli eloquently. She indicated that she was looking for a different role within the UML rather than a complete confrontation with Oli. But when he became the chief guest under the party banner for the first time in Jhapa's program on May 24, Oli also did not like it and made targeted comments.
Looking at Oli's public anger and Bhandari's reaction, it does not seem like there is an easy cooperation between the two leaders. A UML leader from Jhapa's Olinikat claimed that the possibility of a person who has become president coming into parliamentary politics is very low. "However, the possibility of running the party without taking public responsibility is still alive," said the leader, "but until President Oli wants it, it seems almost impossible."
