Kathmandu, July 14 -- Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal go back a long way.

Nepal played a crucial role during the peace process after Dahal's Maoist party joined mainstream politics in 2006. Nepal was also actively involved in talks with Dahal multiple times to bring the Maoist party to sign a peace deal.

Now, as leaders of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), their comradeship continues to flourish. And this growing camaraderie between the two is becoming a cause for concern for Co-chair and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who has been facing criticism for his way of running the party and the government.

"There is no doubt Nepal and Dahal are very close to each other these days," said Surya Thapa, a central committee member. "Dahal...