KATHMANDU: The preparation for party unity between the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the CPN (Unified Socialist) has reached its final stage.

The Nepal Samajwadi Party (NSP), another party in the Socialist Front, is also agreed on the unity.

“Talks are underway to unite all parties involved in the Socialist Front,” says Mahendra Raya Yadav, Chairman of the NSP.

“There is a theoretical agreement on the matter of uniting all parties and moving forward. The unity between the three parties is in the final stage,” he added.

According to Yadav, it has been decided that Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ will be the first-ranking and Madhav Kumar Nepal will be the second-ranking Chairman in the new party.

“The leader of the largest party will lead the new party,” says Yadav.

To make a final decision about the party unity, the CPN (Unified Socialist) has called a Central Committee meeting from October 29.

“The talks have progressed positively. We have reached a theoretical agreement on the issue of unity,” says Prakash Jwala, a member of the talk team.

According to him, to send a message of party reorganization, there has also been a discussion about forming a committee with multiple posts and fewer levels.

“There has been a discussion not to keep multiple posts. However, the issue of what size the committee should be is yet to be finalized,” says Jwala.

Maoist leader Rekha Sharma says that the main ideological basis of the new party will be that of the CPN-era.

“The main ideological basis of the new party will be of the CPN-era,” says Sharma.

“Discussions on unity are ongoing not only among the parties but also among those divided into various groups.” She indicates that discussions are also being held with leaders including Raju Karki of the CPN (Socialist).

The Maoist and Unified Socialist have agreed to name the party CPN (Socialist).

This party is registered with the Election Commission. That party, which has a car election symbol, has registration number 170 in the Election Commission.

Karki, the coordinator of the party, was in UML before becoming a Maoist during the armed rebellion.

“If an agreement cannot be reached with the leaders of the CPN (Socialist), there could be an agreement on another name for the party,” says leader Jwala.

Although Madhav Kumar Nepal, Chairman of the CPN (Unified Socialist), has advanced discussions for unity with the Maoist Centre, leaders including Jhala Nath Khanal, the respected leader of that party, have stood against it.

The Central Committee meeting of the Maoist Centre held in September had decided to unite with parties sharing similar ideologies.

Biplav distances himself from unity

The Maoist Centre is also holding talks for unity with the CPN led by Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplav’. However, that does not seem positive.

Although Biplav is theoretically agreeable to unity, he demands that he should get the leadership of the new party instead of Prachanda and Nepal.

The source says that this stance of Chand is making unity with the CPN difficult.

On Friday, Chand wrote on the social media platform Facebook, ‘Unity is not only related to making the organization one; it is related to a unified understanding of its ideas, principles, goals, economic outlook, life conduct, and culture. Serious discussions on these issues have been going on at the leadership level for a long time but have not been finalized.’

However, Chand stated that the need for unity among communists has increased and the agreement on it should be taken positively.

Earlier, immediately after the Maoist Centre decided to unite with the parties affiliated with the Socialist Front, Chand’s party, the CPN, had also formed a talk team.

On the other hand, although Nepal, the Chairman of the CPN (Unified Socialist), has advanced discussions for unity with the Maoist Centre, leaders including Jhala Nath Khanal, the respected leader of that party, have stood against it.

Khanal is second in seniority after Nepal. He is in favour of not uniting with any party right now.

He has accused Party Chairman Nepal and other leftist parties of following the right-wing.

‘It is the leftist parties that should show the right path to the general public and the nation. But after our party’s leadership, including the Chairman, and other leftist leaders started following the right-wing, abandoning the task of comprehensive socio-economic transformation and strengthening of nationalism, and started entering into humiliating treaties and agreements with foreigners, it was inevitable for the country to fall into a terrible crisis and become a playground for foreigners. That is exactly what is happening now,’ Khanal had said at the Secretariat meeting of the CPN (Unified Socialist) last week.

In the Maoist Centre too, senior Vice Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha is against party unity.