Kathmandu, January 27

Nepali Congress is working to prepare a draft proposal to amend its statute through the upcoming National General Convention to be held from March 3-6 in Kathmandu.

However, the factions led by party president Sushil Koirala and senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba are sharply divided on some key issues.

The Statute Amendment Committee headed by Ananda Prasad Dhungana submitted a draft proposal to three top leaders  Koirala, Deuba and party vice president Ram Chandra Paudel yesterday.

Although the proposal suggested having a 97-member Central Working Committee with some additional positions of office bearers and providing the party president the right to nominate chairman and general secretary of each provincial committee, members from the Deuba faction have differed.

Koirala faction has insisted on having two or three party vice presidents, including one elected.

Deuba faction, however, has stressed on either not changing the current structure of the CWC or electing all office bearers instead of nominating them.

It has been proposed that the party president be allowed to appoint joint general secretaries as per necessity after making the appointments endorsed by the CWC.

“I have suggested holding elections for most of the posts and making the provincial committees powerful by electing its chairman, general secretary and members at the provincial level,” said Balkrishna Khand, who belongs to the Deuba faction.