Lalitpur: Prime Minister and CPN (UML) Chairman KP Sharma Oli has called on party-affiliated institutions and foundations to prioritize the party’s movement and collective interests over personal agendas. Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected Madan-Aashrit Smriti Pratishthan Chairman Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Oli emphasized that organizations established in honor of party leaders should never become tools for fraud or self-benefit.

Historical Context of the Foundation
Oli, the chief patron of the Madan-Aashrit Memorial Foundation, recalled that the institution was established on 23 Jestha 2050 BS to promote the ideology of people’s pluralistic democracy following the deaths of then-General Secretary Madan Kumar Bhandari and Organization Department Head Jivraj Ashrit. He contrasted it with the Madan Bhandari Foundation, which he said was created on a personal basis after the party did not adequately mark Madan Jayanti, and noted its activities had drifted away from loyalty to the movement.

Call for Ethical Leadership
The Prime Minister urged the new leadership to focus on social studies, personal development, human awareness, discipline, and loyalty to the party’s cause. He cautioned that the trend of naming foundations after leaders and later usurping them for personal gain must stop, describing such misuse as turning them into “vessels for cheating.”

Leadership Transition
Following the death of former chairman Pradeep Nepal on 23 Baisakh, the foundation elected UML Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Kumar Gyawali as its new chairman at its 31st general meeting on 23 Shrawan. Oli reiterated that while some foundations, such as the Pushpalal Foundation and Manmohan Foundation, were established by the party, others lacked party-origin loyalty and needed to realign with collective goals.