KATHMANDU, MARCH 25

The Nepal Student Union and Tarun Dal, the student wing and the youth wing respectively of the ruling Nepali Congress, staged demonstration against the 'autocratic' attitude of the party's President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

Students and youth leaders, especially those supporting Shekhar Koirala faction, staged the demonstration outside the party office at Sanepa today. The NC, in the presence of Deuba, was holding its executive committee meeting when the youth and student leaders of the party were shouting slogans against their party president outside the party office.

The students and youth leaders have expressed their grievances to Deuba expressing dissatisfaction over the recent nomination of the presidents of Nepal Student Union and Tarun Dal.

Earlier, party President Deuba had appointed Bidwan Gurung as the president of Tarun Dal and Dujang Sherpa as the president of Nepal Student Union.

However, cadres supporting Shekhar Koirala were agitated for sidelining Koirala panel and choosing the leaders on his own without consulting party leaders or forming the ad hoc committee of the sister wings.

'It is a clear sign that Deuba tried to sideline Koirala who garnered more than 40 per cent votes during the general convention. This cannot be a democratic practice. We are against the autocratic rule within this great democratic party,' said Sailendra Gaudel, NSU student leader.

Meanwhile, Sher Koirala panel has already decided to call Tarun Dal and Nepal Student Union leaders to Kathmandu and form a parallel wings, if Deuba did not retract from his decision.

Even senior leaders of the party have accused PM for ignoring Koirala during a meeting held at the contact office of Koirala in Baluwatar yesterday.

A version of this article appears in the print on March 26, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.