Kathmandu: The government has decided to bring an ordinance on political parties so that 20 percent central members or parliamentarians can split parties if they want. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has decided to issue an ordinance with the provision of splitting even a small number of parties to maintain the majority of the government under his leadership.

A cabinet meeting held at the PM’s residence in Baluwatar on Tuesday recommended an ordinance on party split to the President, a minister said.

Deuba, CPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and JSP Chairman Upendra Yadav have become the main leaders of the plan to bring an ordinance of the same nature.

Prachanda, Nepal and Yadav have the motivation to bring the ordinance to Deuba. With the government’s decision to bring the ordinance, the legal basis for the UML split has been prepared. Similarly, the door has been opened for the leaders including Mahanta Thakur, who has lost his authority inside the party, to leave.

The Standing Committee of the CPN (UML) has objected to the ordinance. A meeting of the UML Standing Committee held on Tuesday called on its leaders and cadres to oppose the government’s move and stand for party unity.

The government had initially planned to bring in an ordinance with 30 percent. However, after the JSP leaders urged the Prime Minister to bring the ordinance in a way that would be convenient for their party, the government has brought the ordinance with 20 percent.

Of the 34 members in the federal parliament, 12 are in Thakur’s favor. This number is 35 percent of the total number of MPs. However, based on the assumption that some members may not know about the split of the party, JSP leader Mahanta Thakur had requested to bring the ordinance with 20 percent.

Leaders of the Thakur faction had reached Baluwatar in the morning to discuss the issue. Prime Minister Deuba had summoned the Law Minister and the Attorney General to Baluwatar to draft the ordinance.