Kathmandu, December 30

Nepali Congress Vice-president Bimalendra Nidhi today reached out to party’s senior leader Ramchandra Paudel and told him that the establishment faction led by President Sher Bahadur Deuba was ready to discuss issues related to suspension of some clauses of the party statute.

A knowledgeable source said Nidhi told Paudel there was nothing unusual about the suspension of provisions of the party statute as it had happened in the past also.

The Paudel faction has said it will not accept the establishment faction’s decision to extend the tenure of the party’s leadership and suspend the party’s statute.

Nidhi also urged Paudel to attend the party’s next Central Working Committee meeting as the party would have to take a call soon on who would be party’s candidate for National Assembly elections.

According to the source, Nidhi said that the next CWC will have just one agenda — the NA election. He further said the establishment faction of the party had taken the decision to hold the next National Convention as per the tentative agreement with the Paudel faction and there was no question of the establishment faction ditching the Paudel faction.

Paudel, who has been boycotting the CWC meeting, was non-committal about attending the CWC meeting. Paudel could not be reached for comments.