Kathmandu, October 13:

The central committee meeting of the CPN-UML rejected party general secretary Jhala Nath Khanal’s proposal of dissolving the existing 65-member central body and forming an eighth general convention organising committee.

Khanal’s proposal to dissolve the central committee was rejected by a majority vote, according to a central committee member.

General secretary Khanal, in his 19-page political proposal, had come up with the proposal, arguing that the central committee had already used up its legal tenure and it was necessary to form the eighth national convention committee.

The central committee member said Khanal’s proposal was rejected on the ground that dissolution of the existing central committee would create further complications. The meeting,

which was called to discuss agenda to be discussed at the party’s central-level cadres’ meet scheduled for coming Thursday, however, approved the general secretary’s overall proposal with suggestions. Around 700 leading cadres would be taking part in the cadres’ meeting to be held in the capital.

Khanal has proposed that the aged central level leaders should get voluntary retirement from the party leadership, as they are too old to engage in day-to-day party organisation. The aged leaders should train the youth leaders on political and theoretical aspects, the political proposal said.

Closing the two-day meeting, Khanal said the party should focus its attention on consolidating the hard-earned federal democratic republic by drafting new constitution on time, a press statement issued at the end of the meeting said. He also criticised the Maoist for raising the issue of People’s Republic at a time when the entire nation was moving forward to writing the new constitution. “Maoist attempt to go for People’s Republic is an indication of extreme Leftist and anarchic thought,” the statement said.

Chief of the party’s finance department Bharat Mohan Adhikari presented a financial plan for the party’s eighth general convention, which is scheduled to take place on February 16-21, 2009.