Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s distaste for the media is not new. He has heaped scorn on the media in the past—sometimes for criticising him and at other times “for not reporting the good deeds” of the government. Now, he wants his party members to maintain distance with the media.

At least two senior Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leaders told the Post that Oli, who is also the party chair, is increasingly unhappy about the “leaking of information” about government and party decisions to the media. According to them, Oli recently asked all his aides, ministers and party Secretariat members to keep the media at bay.

Party spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha confirmed Oli’s grievances about the way information was being leaked to the media.

“However, he just meant that we should be cautious while sharing information in such critical times,” Shrestha told the Post.

The government has recently been involved in a number of controversies, with two of Oli’s ministers accused of corruption in the procurement of medical equipment to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

After deciding to scrap the deal with the private company to buy the equipment, the government roped in the Nepal Army to do the job.

According to a senior leader who did not wish to be identified, the decision to bring in the Army was taken solely at the behest of the prime minister, rather than the Cabinet.

“After the decision ran into controversy, the prime minister was not amused,” the leader said.

Recently, the government also made a U-turn regarding letting people travel out of Kathmandu Valley. The media was quick to report about it, long before a decision was officially taken. The government was left scrambling, with ministers and prime minister’s aides trying to cover up the decision. Even the Prime Minister’s Office Facebook page where the decision was posted disappeared.

The party leader said that the prime minister is concerned about the negative publicity the government is getting and, hence, has asked party members to be careful while talking to the media.

Oli’s concerns, however, also stem from the internal dynamics in the party, which is sharply divided between two factions.

According to insiders, the Oli camp is largely concerned about whether selective information, including agendas and decisions, are being leaked to the media by the opposing faction.

There is a growing concern in the Oli camp that the faction led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the other party chair, is trying to unseat the government and leaks information that could tarnish Oli’s image.

Surendra Karki, a standing committee member and former communication minister, however, said there is a lot of ad hocism in the party and the government, as a result of which information is leaking randomly.

“There is no system in place, nor is there enough discussion,” Karki told the Post. “In this situation, unwarranted information often goes out.”

Many believe that by warning his own leaders against sharing information, Oli is targeting both the media and the Dahal faction.

During his address to the nation last week, Oli even described some reports regarding the government’s response to Covid-19 as “propaganda”.

Amid reports of Oli’s concerns over the information leak, Bishnu Rijal, a central committee member, made a sarcastic comment on Wednesday, hinting at existing factionalism in the party.

“As per news reports, Prime Minister and party chair KP Oli rang up some Secretariat members to ‘complain’ that Secretariat discussions were being ‘leaked’ verbatim. And that ‘complaint’, too, got ‘leaked’ verbatim. That’s called transparency,” he wrote on Twitter.

A Standing Committee member who spoke on condition of anonymity, however, said that Oli’s warnings emanate from his own insecurity.

“Instructing party leaders to not reveal information to the media means that he is either insecure or he knows very well that his decisions will invite a backlash,” said the member. “If the prime minister feels insecure from his own Cabinet colleagues, party leaders and aides, it means there is a huge trust deficit in his administration.”