Kathmandu, January 1:

Padma Sundar Lawati, a leader of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party who was stripped of the post of party vice-chairman yesterday by the party chairman Pashupati SJB Rana after Lawati announced a special convention of the party the same day, said today that the ‘special convention’ would decide who would chair the party.

“The special convention will take place on January 16-17 and that will decide on the

present confusion seen in RPP leadership,” Lawati said at a programme held at the Media Group Nepal.

According to him, 80 to 90 per cent of the RPP members would participate in the convention, which he said is big enough to take any important decision.

When asked if the RPP could split, he said, “How can a party split if all the members come (to my side)? I will not even have to oust the chairman. He himself will quit.”

“Splitting of party takes place only when two factions have almost equal number of members whereas in the case of RPP, most of the members are against Rana,” he said.

He labelled the party’s action against him a result of autocratic tendency of Rana. “I don’t know from which post I have been dismissed. I only read something about it on papers. I have not been told about it. Nobody has sought clarification form me nor anybody has written to me. So, I’m here with my post,” he said.

Lawati termed the party decision to give district committee to right to decide whether to fight or not the municipal polls as an “impotent” decision.

“Rana tried to be popular among the activists but failed to take responsibility.”

“It was just like the decision of a Rana prime minister of the pre-1950 period. May be he is trying give continuity to the old Rana tradition,” he said.

Rana rules out special convention

Kathmandu: RPP Chairman Pashupati Shumsher Rana on Sunday ruled out any chance of the party convening a special General Convention. Flaying the section of the party demanding it, Rana came out strongly against ‘anti-party activities’.

“Those demanding a special General Convention are associated with forces of disintegration. These people are bent on drawing the party away from democratic line,” Rana told reporters.

He referred to the sacked vice-chairman of the party Padma Sundar Lawoti as an “owl” who can’t see anything except the general convention. — HNS