KATHMANDU, JULY 22 Nepal's oldest political party, the Nepali Congress (NC), is on the verge of a formal split as a powerful dissident faction announced a National Conclave to be held here on August 14. The move comes as senior leaders ramp up pressure on newly elected Party President Gagan Thapa to address long-standing intra-party grievances or risk an irreversible fracture. The announcement was made at an event in the capital commemorating the 44th memorial day of the party's founding leader, BP Koirala. The opposition faction - led by figures loyal to outgoing president Sher Bahadur Deuba and senior leader Dr Shekhar Koirala - issued a stern ultimatum to Thapa, warning that his unilateral working style would shatter party unity if left uncorrected. Prakash Man Singh, the programme coordinator and former general secretary, formally announced the date of the national gathering. 'Our National Conclave will be held on August 14 in Kathmandu,' Singh said. 'This is not a threat; we will demonstrate our strength through action, as we have in the past.' DEFENDING THE FACTION'S INTENTIONS Former acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka denied that senior leaders were seeking personal gain, stating they were willing to serve as a shield for the party's youth. 'We will not remain inactive. We are prepared to serve as a protective shield in front of the youth,' Khadka stated. 'Let no one believe that these leaders are only looking to advance themselves.' Khadka reaffirmed his stance, adding that after fighting for dignity during the Panchayat era, they are 'ready to die, but cannot compromise self-respect.' Former minister and senior leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula urged NC President Thapa to end deceit and initiate genuine reconciliation. 'Be brave and open-hearted, President Thapa. Have the courage to say openly that you have united the Nepali Congress,' Sitaula said. He added that the faction has agreed to hold a meeting by the end of the current Nepali month, noting, 'That National Conclave will establish a new direction. Everyone will understand it.' Meanwhile, Dr Shashank Koirala warned that Thapa would bear full moral and political responsibility if the ongoing disagreements led to a split. 'If the party suffers damage to its unity or reaches a state of division, the current leadership must bear political and moral responsibility,' he stated, warning that internal misunderstandings, distrust, and unhealthy factional competition threaten to weaken the party and alienate the public. ACCUSATIONS OF AUTHORITARIANISM Dr Shekhar Koirala sharply criticised the current leadership for cultivating an 'autocratic regime' within the party, citing the arbitrary removal of ward presidents without explanation. 'I feel that the Nepali Congress is somehow being run in the manner of an autocratic regime,' Dr Shekhar said. 'Ward presidents have been removed without explanation or inquiry under the pretext of not updating records. None of us can tolerate this, because the Nepali Congress was born to end tyranny.' He also questioned Thapa's ideological shift towards social democracy during the recent special general convention. 'In his speech at the special convention, the president spoke of social democracy, whereas BP's idea is democratic socialism. Has the Nepali Congress dismissed BP's ideas?' Leader Bimalendra Nidhi echoed these concerns, describing the faction's demands for party unity as moderate, but warned that if Thapa's leadership continues to demonstrate immaturity and a lack of foresight, a new political path will become unavoidable. 'If our demands and grounds for agreement are not met, we will be forced to choose a different path,' Nidhi stated. 'The refusal to accept these grounds demonstrates that the leadership does not wish to keep the party united.' Former NC vice-president Bijay Kumar Gachhadar also urged Thapa to accommodate dissenting voices before moving forward with the 15th General Convention, recalling how historical party divides were previously bridged through sacrifice. He implored Thapa to 'bring everyone together and be the president of a strong Congress.' CALLS FOR PARALLEL COMMITTEES Leader Mohan Bahadur Basnet took a firmer, more confrontational stance, calling for immediate parallel activities across the country to counter the central leadership's unilateral actions. 'We are not just splitting the party; we are creating a new one,' Basnet stated. 'While Thapa's group intends to hold ward conventions on August 18, we must establish parallel committees at the ward level to build a strong party capable of defending democratic governance.' Despite the aggressive rhetoric from the dissident camp, young leaders within the party emphasise that the Nepali Congress' survival depends entirely on Thapa's willingness to make significant political concessions. Dujang Sherpa, former president of the Nepal Students' Union, warned that a formal split ahead of the upcoming regular general convention would eliminate the party's chances of regaining power. 'The harsh reality is that 50 per cent of people did not attend the special convention - they did not participate,' Sherpa stated. 'Congress is the party of five generations. Some generations may have good and bad points, but we must adopt them.' Referring to Thapa's previous pledge to maintain party harmony at all costs, Sherpa urged the party president to keep his word. 'Thapa should 'take the poison' - as he stated in the special convention that he would take the poison but not allow the party to split - address all five generations of this party, and attend the general convention,' Sherpa said. 'That way, the Nepali Congress might have a chance to come back,' Sherpa concluded. 'If the party splits, the comeback chances of the Nepali Congress drop to zero. He can run the party however he wants after the general convention, but first, he must listen.'