KATHMANDU: The fifth directive issued by Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Chairman of the main opposition party, the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist Centre), to change the leader of the Sudurpaschim Provincial Parliamentary Party has failed to be implemented.

Last week, Prachanda had summoned all Sudurpaschim MPs to his residence and instructed them to change the party leader before his planned visit to the province on March 4. However, the directive has not been carried out as of yet. Prachanda, who is in Tikapur today for the inauguration of the Fourth National Conference of the Maoist Centre-affiliated Tharu National Liberation Front.

Prachanda had earlier given the directive while attending the Tarai-Madhesh Awakening Campaign in the region. During a meeting at his residence in Khumaltar, Kathmandu, he had directed 10 provincial MPs, the provincial in-charge, and the deputy in-charge to implement the leadership change within a week.

The dispute over the leadership of the Sudurpaschim Parliamentary Party has been ongoing for a long time within the Maoist Centre. On January 25, a meeting of majority provincial assembly members, chaired by Deputy Leader Akkal Bahadur Rawal, decided to remove Khagaraj Bhatt from his position and appoint Man Bahadur Dhami as the new leader. However, this decision sparked further internal conflict within the party.