KATHMANDU: Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has said he has always remained tolerant towards differing opinions.

Speaking at an event organized on Wednesday to mark the 47th memorial day of Pushpa Lal Shrestha, the founding General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal, Prachanda defended his openness to ideological divergence.

He remarked, “Some friends say I may have become slightly intolerant toward differing views. But I say, suppressing dissent is not my weakness—being overly tolerant of it is.”

He acknowledged that this very openness is often the most criticized aspect of his leadership within the party.

Clarifying that he never expelled key figures like Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’, Baburam Bhattarai, or Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’ from the party in the past, Prachanda added, “Some may say that even if I didn’t remove them, I didn’t provide them space to stay. But that’s not true either. I’ve always created a conducive environment for thorough discussion.”

He further claimed that even now, some party leaders are attempting to play political games (locally referred to as singauri khel).

“Some comrades still seem to feel like playing a little political game. I’ve given them plenty of room for that. Just recently, I traveled across the country for one and a half months for consultation. If that’s not democratic, what is?” he asked.