Nepal PM meets Army chief Thapa amid political standoff in ruling party

Amid political standoff in the ruling party, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Sunday held talks with Nepal's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Purna Chandra Thapa, sources told ANI.

Amid political standoff in the ruling party, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Sunday held talks with Nepal's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Purna Chandra Thapa, sources told ANI. Earlier in the day, the meeting between Oli and co-chair of Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda ended without any conclusion.

The leaders decided to hold the next round of talks on Monday morning, according to The Himalayan Times. After wrapping up the meeting with President Bidhya Devi Bhandari in Sheetal Niwas, Prachanda earlier today reached Oli's official residence in Baluwatar to hold further talks in a bid to erase fractures between the top leadership of the ruling party.

Amid internal disputes in the ruling NCP, both Oli and Prachanda, the two co-chairs have been striving to mend fences by holding meetings since the prorogation of the ongoing parliamentary session. Oli has faced strong criticism in the standing committee meeting held on June 30, with most of the members demanding his resignation.

The Prime Minister has been criticised within and outside the party for the government's "failure" to address a range of issues, particularly after he made a public statement that India is trying to topple him. (ANI)