In a hurriedly convened meeting of cabinet ministers, Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has made his last ditch attempt to save his position.

The cabinet has recommended that President Bidya Devi Bhandari prorogue the ongoing session of Parliament without delay. This comes at a time when a rival faction of the ruling party led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal is pushing for Oli’s resignation.

The prorogation of Parliament session, if President Bhandari accepts the cabinet decision, would mean no floor test for Oli under the current circumstances. This will buy him time for his ordinance that allows him to split the ruling Nepal Communist Party. He had to withdraw the ordinance back in April.

DEVELOPMENTS IN NEPAL: EXPLAINED IN 10 POINTS

1. On June 28, prominent newspaper Kathmandu Post quoted Oli as saying that a conspiracy was being hatched by some Nepali leaders with India playing a role in it. This claim by Oli was seen as his last ditch attempt to save his job as the prime minister of Nepal.

2. Oli has been facing strong opposition within his Nepal Communist Party (NCP) over a range of issues. Oli is the co-chairman of the NCP with Pushpa Kamal Dahal, or Prachanda as he is popularly known, being the other chairman.

3. Oli’s troubles increased as he went overboard in his anti-India stance. Oli has been marginalised in the party with Prachanda having control over the 44-member Standing Committee of the party. At the last meeting of the Standing Committee, 31 members stood against Oli making his continuation as the prime minister untenable.

4. Senior NCP leaders including Prachanda, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhala Nath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam have demanded that Oli must resign as “he will [stake] everything-the country, democracy and the republic” to save his position. Oli had been facing criticism over his handling of economic issues and the Covid-19 pandemic in Nepal. Demands for his resignation had already been made before Lipulekh incident gave him some advantage.

5. When India opened a road via Lipulekh Pass to Mansarovar in Tibet, Oli resorted to hot nationalism, which has been his penchant over the past few years. Oli published a new map depicting Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as Nepali territories. He put the bill to Parliament forcing his rivals within the party and in Opposition to sing his tune. But the demands for resignation revived soon.

6. The anti-India politics of Oli banking on evoking hot nationalism among Nepali citizens had its origin in 2015, when Nepal adopted its new constitution. It forced the incumbent prime minister, Sushil Koirala resign. He was replaced by KP Sharma Oli, who managed support of other parties.

7. Oli had to quit a year later in 2016, when other parties withdrew support to his government. It was the time when Nepal was witnessing wide-scale protests by Madheshi, Tharu and other ethnic minorities, who said their rights had not been addressed in the new constitution. The protesters sealed Nepal’s border with India. Oli blamed India for both the fall of his government and the economic blockade, which incidentally saw the anti-India bogey gaining strength in Nepal.

8. Year 2017 was a turning point. The two communist parties – the Maoist led by Prachanda and Marxist-Leninist led by Oli – merged to form NCP, and Oli won the general election. During his election campaign, Oli rode on the prevailing anti-India sentiment due to blockade, which pushed the prices of petrol, medicines and commodities of regular use at unprecedented levels.

9. After coming to power, Oli called for a reassessment of India-Nepal Friendship Treaty of 1950 holding it biased against Nepal. He made clear shift to China, joining its Belt and Road Initiative, an infrastructure project vehemently opposed by India.

10. He was the force behind an agreement between the NCP and the Communist Party of China recently which provides for training of Nepali communist cadre according to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s political vision. Oli even taunted India over Covid-19 saying the ‘Indian virus’ is deadlier than the Chinese and Italian strands. A majority of Nepal Communist Party leaders and Opposition leaders feel that Oli’s anti-India stance is compromising Nepal’s interest in the long run.