NCP all set to release its much-awaited political document

Kathmandu, July 7

The ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) is all set to release its much-awaited political document, putting an end to speculations surrounding the viewpoints and ideologies of the country’s largest political party.

NCP’s two co-chairs Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal endorsed the document today. It will be sent to the printing press tomorrow.

The party’s political document was drafted by a nine-member committee led by senior NCP leader Madhav Kumar Nepal. NCP’s Standing Committee had unanimously endorsed the document and handed it over to the two co-chairs for their final approval around a year ago. But it has not been made public till date due to differences over party’s political ideology among senior party members.

“The PM and I finalised the document today. It will be printed tomorrow,” former PM Dahal told a programme organised by the Nepal Telecommunications National Employees’ Association today, adding, “No change has been made to the document submitted by the Nepal-led committee.”

There has been a lot of speculation about the party’s ideology ever since the political document was drafted. “Some of the leaders have been asking us about the party’s political line,” said Dahal. “They’ll know about it after they get the document.”

Earlier, there were debates on whether the NCP — which was formed following merger between CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre in May 2018 — should embrace “people’s multi-party democracy” or “21st century people’s democracy” as its key political ideology.

Members of the erstwhile CPN-UML were lobbying for “people’s multi-party democracy” whereas members of the former CPN-Maoist Centre were pushing for “21st century people’s democracy”. Later NCP’s two co-chairs agreed to embrace “people’s democracy” as the party’s key ideology until the first convention is held.

“The party’s ideology, political stance and leadership will be finalised during NCP’s first convention. We had agreed on that at the time of merger,” Dahal said. “We’ll finalise these issues through consensus and not on the basis of majority.”

This is an indication that the party’s first convention will not see any voting and will settle most of the issues, including election of its leader, through discussions and negotiations. “The conventions thereafter, however, will see competition among party members,” said Dahal.

The party was supposed to hold its first convention a year after signing the merger agreement. But the party has not been able to wrap up its unification process even more than a year after signing the merger pact. The party has still not selected its districts’ in-charge and

co-in-charge, nominated politburo members and brought the departments into operation.

The two NCP co-chairs had agreed to complete the unification process within three months of signing the merger agreement.

“We will soon complete the remaining unification process,” said Dahal. Yesterday, PM Oli also said the party’s unification process would be completed soon.

READ ALSO: