KATHMANDU, May 6: Upendra Yadav, the chairman of the Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) and Minister for Health and Population, is returning to Kathmandu today, after cutting short his foreign tour upon receiving the party’s split news. He is scheduled to depart for Kathmandu tonight from Doha, the capital of Qatar.

Yadav, who was on a tour that included a five-day program in America and two days in Qatar, shortened his trip after learning that a faction led by Ashok Rai has decided to break away from his leadership and form a new party.

On Sunday, Rai, along with other leaders including Pradip Yadav, Sushila Shrestha, Raj Kishore Yadav, submitted an application to the Election Commission to register a separate party.

The faction’s dissatisfaction stemmed from the lack of ministerial appointments by the UML and Maoist Center-led government.

Upon receiving this information, JSP Chairman Yadav canceled his program in Qatar and is set to return to Kathmandu, according to his secretariat. Yadav is expected to arrive in Kathmandu after 11 PM tonight. “There is a 6 PM flight from Qatar today,” said the source.

 
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