Kathmandu, September 12:

A section of the Nepali Congress (NC) rank and file has warned against appointment to the powerful central working committee (CWC) of those who have been critical of the continued movement against regression. This came to the fore today at a meeting of the newly-elected CWC members and over 50 chiefs of the district units of the party at the party headquarters in the capital. They, however, could not make the party president, Girija Prasad Koirala, address the gathering because he has been indisposed ever since he fell down during a rally on Sunday. However, that did not deter the rank and file from raising the demands against the appointment of people in the CWC, who have been against the movement and lost the party elections.

This has taken the lobbying for the appointment to the 18 seats of the powerful CWC to a new height with those who are higher up in the leadership ladder engaged in a stampede to have their candidates in the CWC. It appears that leading NC leader Shailja Acharya is coming under increased threat from her detractors in the party, with a large section of the rank and file reinforcing the need to have her resign from the CWC for her anti-party activities. Claims are in place that she has been too soft on regression which has led the party nowhere. The party is divided into a number of lobbies with each trying to stay ahead — something which can be done by having the maximum number of CWC members in the 37-member body. The meeting was called to discuss the preparation for the crucial phase of the movement being planned for tomorrow.