KATHMANDU: Tension has intensified within the CPN (Unified Socialist) after party chair Madhav Kumar Nepal decided to move ahead with unification with the Maoist Centre.

The decision has triggered dissatisfaction among senior leaders, including Jhalanath Khanal, who signaled readiness to return to the CPN (UML) under favorable conditions.

On Saturday, dissident leaders gathered at Nawadurga Party Palace in Sukedhara to discuss the party’s future course.

The meeting was attended by senior leader Jhalanath Khanal and others close to him, reflecting growing discontent over Madhav Nepal’s unilateral approach toward merger talks.

Speaking at the gathering, Khanal said he had “no objection” to returning to UML if a suitable environment was created.

He emphasized that simply being told by UML chair KP Oli to “come home” would not be enough — the “door must be properly opened” and the “house made comfortable to live in.”

Khanal also underlined that his group’s efforts were focused on fostering a broader unity within the communist movement, suggesting that discussions were underway to realign the leftist forces.

The internal dispute now exposes a deepening rift inside the Unified Socialist as it weighs its future between merger with the Maoist Centre and possible reconciliation with the UML.