UML suspends Youth Force activities

The activities of CPN (UML)’s Youth Force (YF) have been suspended under the directives of party chairman Jhala Nath Khanal due to the growing rift between Khanal and senior party leader K P Oli, reports say.

Khanal and his supporters decided to suspend YF activities as the Youth Force leadership was in control of party leader K P Oli, Nagarik daily reported.

Chairman of Youth Force Mahesh Basnet said, ‘Youth Force is now in a kind of semi-dissolved state as the party has not made its concept clear on the its structure.’ Basnet is considered close to Oli.

Earlier, the party central committee had decided to form a single volunteer front by integrating Youth Force and People’s Volunteer (PV). It had also designated central committee member Yogesh Bhattarai to recommend the new name, working procedure and regulations for the integrated volunteer front.

Bhattarai, considered close to chairman Khanal, has already submitted his report to the party standing committee.

Officially, Youth Force is a department under the party’s youth wing Prajatantrik Rastriya Yuwa Sangathan (PRYS) formed after the Constituent Assembly elections to counter attacks by cadres of Maoist affiliated Young Communist League (YCL).

However, it is perceived as a body parallel to PRYS, directly under the party, as it came to limelight in a short period.

The party is preparing to keep PRYS as a sister organisation of the party and develop Youth Force as a volunteer front after integrating it with PV.