Nepal’s ruling Communist Party has often been accused of behaving like the royal family it helped depose. Nepalis on social media monitor every minute detail of their leaders’ lifestyle and behaviour for signs of the feudalism that they once waged war against.
Nowhere was this more apparent than in the ongoing Standing Committee meeting of the NCP where delegates last week put up objections to the co-chairs Prime Minister K P Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal sitting on plush sofas on a stage, while the seven other party secretariat members sat uncomfortably upright on chairs.
After questions were raised by Party spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Asta Laxmi Shakya and Bhim Rawal, the sofas were removed last Wednesday, and Prime Minister Oli walked out saying he was indisposed.
At the next meeting on Saturday, the two comrade leaders sat on chairs on the stage together with other secretariat members, while other Standing Committee comrades were socially distanced on the floor below.
However, former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal objected that the chairs of the two co-chairs were slightly in front of his, and asked that his chair and that of another former prime minister Jhalnath Khanal be also moved forward to be in a straight line with Oli and Dahal.
Even this was construed to be against the principles of equality that the party is supposed to stand for.
On Tuesday, the fourth day of the Standing Committee meeting, the seating had been re-arranged with the two co-chairs and all other members are at the same level in the hall at the Prime Minister’s official residence at Baluwatar.
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