Kathmandu, July 24

Nepal Student Union cadres today launched a relay hunger strike, demanding that its mother party, the Nepali Congress, hold their 11th national general convention on time.

As many as 11 NSC leaders, including Kundan Kafle, a prospective candidate for the student union’s president, are participating in the protest launched in front of the NC party office at Sanepa.

Earlier, they had warned of a hunger strike if the party failed to end disputes and hold the convention on time and in a democratic manner.

According to NSU, the convention should not promote power-sharing between party factions. Awarding posts on the basis of power sharing would weaken democracy and the party, the leaders argued.

Kafle said they launched the relay hunger strike in front of the NC party office after it failed to conduct the student wing’s convention in accordance with the existing laws.

NSC leaders claimed that the party was trying to avoid general convention by selecting candidates close to party leaders as convention representatives.

They have demanded that the NSU national convention be held from August 7. The NSU convention has not been held since 2007.

Earlier, the Nepali Congress’s first meeting on March 18 after Sher Bahadur Deuba took charge of the party had directed all its sister wings to hold their general conventions within six months.