Former vice-chairman of the CPN-UML and former deputy prime minister and minister for home and defence, Bhim Rawal will announce his new campaign, policy, plan and strategy on Wednesday. Rawal was expelled from the UML last week for his series of statements against the party policy.

Soon after the UML ousted him, Rawal had announced his plans to form a “non-communist” party. A UML secretariat meeting on December 25 decided to strip Rawal of his party membership after assessing that a series of his statements and activities were against the party’s official line.

Rawal had opposed the party’s decision to accept land donated by Min Bahadur Gurung, the owner of Bhatbhateni supermarket. The land donation issue landed in the Supreme Court, which later quashed the writ petition after a hearing, paving the way for the UML to proceed with building its new headquarters in Kirtipur, Kathmandu.

As widely reported in the media, he is not going to announce a new party, Govinda Duwal, an aide to Rawal said. It’s just a press conference, Duwal added: Rawal will share what happened to him in the UML.

Rawal will expose the UML leadership and will announce his next move and strategy, he added.

After the UML stripped him of party membership, Rawal was in touch with several dissident leaders, mostly from far-western Nepal where he belongs. The former UML leader had long been without responsibility in the party due to his differences with party chair and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

In the UML’s Chitwan general convention held in November 2021, Rawal challenged Oli for the post of chairman but lost. Taking exception to his statements against the party leadership and its decision to build a new central office on the land donated by the “controversial” businessman, Rawal was stripped of the party’s membership. In response, he termed the action as Oli’s arbitrary and autocratic act.

He said the decision was guided by Oli’s intent to make others unquestioningly accept his acts even as he does just about everything to remain prime minister.

A leader close to Rawal told the Post that he is making up his mind to form a new party that will be “non-communist”. He wants to organise dissident leaders from the Nepali Congress, the UML and other political parties under it. Rawal is going to seek suggestions and feedback across the country and will accordingly determine the structure and ideology of the new party, the leader said.

Rawal is going to read out a 45-page document where he will present his position, views regarding his expulsion from the party and his new plan, said Ekindra Kuwar, who is helping Rawal in his next move. Rawal will venture out of Kathmandu soon to feel the public pulse.

“He will start his campaign from Jhapa, and will interact with people from diverse backgrounds. Once he builds a momentum after travelling all 77 districts, the new party will be announced. It will have a socialist orientation,” said Kunwar. “It could take up to six months to form the new party. After listening to the general public, the organisation will be built—in a bottom-up approach.”