Kathmandu, May 16

A meeting of the newly reorganised CPN-Revolutionary Maoist led by Ram Bahadur Thapa has decided to claim the posts of senior Vice-chairman and General Secretary in the unified Maoist party.

According to an influential leader of CPN-RM Lekhnath Neupane, the meeting of the newly reorganised CPN-RM discussed vigorously the organisational settings of the unified party. He said the CPN-RM would claim senior Vice-chairman for Ram Bahadur Thapa and General Secretary for Dev Prasad Gurung.

He said with Gurung, also representing Janajatis, becoming the general secretary, the UCPN-M general secretary would be elevated to the post of Vice-chairman. The unified Maoist party would have three vice-chairpersons with Thapa being the senior-most Vice-chair and Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Mahara as Vice-chairpersons.

Asked whether Shrestha would be comfortable with such a setting, Neupane said Shrestha was honoured with Vice-chairman when he joined the party and now it’s his turn to honour Thapa, who is an icon of the Maoist revolution in Nepal.

Neupane said if the party decides to make Dahal the convener, Thapa will be co-convener of the party.

However, there have been several moves among leaders within the UCPN-M rank and file to safeguard their existing positions and the party could see unexpected developments by the time unification is declared.

The CPN-RM also decided not to change the existing organizational setting of states though UCPN-M has already started practicing the settings of Pradeshes.

A 499-member national convention organising committee will be formed, including all the existing central committee members of all the parties. Neupane said having majority of the central members with them, the Thapa-led CPN-RM would use the Buddhanagar-based party office as the contact office as it has political significance.

The leaders have been discussing renaming the unified party with either Maoist Communist Party, Nepal or CPN (Maoist Centre) as their plan to go for the first name of the party CPN (Maoist) failed after Matrika Yadav refused to join the unification bid demanding that the new party should not write India as an expansionist force.

General Secretary of Revolutionary Communist Party-Nepal Mani Thapa will go for secretary of the unified party, but Thapa said his main focus would be on strengthening the party.