Kathmandu, February 21

At a time when corruption, greed, personal interest, lavish lifestyle and dishonesty have become instrumental in making political leaders rich, top leaders of influential parties today portrayed late Nepali Congress leader Sushil Koirala as one who was at odds with this tendency and wished they could follow Koirala’s path.

“Let’s wish we could die the way Sushiljee died amid an active life without troubling anyone.

The lesson to be learnt from him is simple life and dedication towards moral values and ideology,” said Unified CPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal at a condolence meeting organised in Shanti Batika on the 13th day of Koirala’s death.

Dahal remembered Koirala’s firmness of stance on incorporating pluralism in the preamble of the constitution. “He did not compromise even when other Congress leaders were not rigid about it.

Later, we agreed to include the term somewhere in the constitution.

I salute his firm commitment to his thought and ideology,” Dahal said. Remembering how Sushil Koirala deferred with Girija Koirala on the peace process, Dahal said that Sushil Koirala always expressed his discontentment in the course of negotiations on issues of the peace process.

“Although I and Girijababu were making gradual progress with the unique peace process, Sushil Koirala was always unhappy.

He looked at us, the Maoist party, with suspicion. He used to question publicly if everything could be given to the Maoists? He, however, became positive towards the Maoists when we handed over our combatants and weapons.

Then only did we engage in personal sharing. It shows how concerned and conscious he was about the possibility of the peace process being betrayed,” Dahal said.

Acting President of NC Ramchandra Paudel said late Sushil Koirala was a clear example of simple living and high thinking. He was a leader dedicated to moral values in politics.

Koirala never cared about his personal pain and discomfort while dealing with democratic exercises, he said.

Koirala was an altruistic leader at a time when society was affected by corruption, selfishness and misuse of power, Paudel said. “Many people who are in power are charged with corruption and misuse of power.

However, he was never charged with these. He died after the constitution was delivered under his leadership,” Paudel said. The Congress should shoulder the responsibility of making the party dedicated to good governance, he said.

Senior NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba said uniting the party to implement the new constitution delivered under the leadership of Koirala was the major responsibility of the party.

CPN-UML leader Bam Dev Gautam and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Democratic Chairman Bijay Kumar Gachhadarm including other leadersm lauded late Koirala for his continuous effort to forge consensus in the constitution making process.

“I would rather not seek any position if that could create unity.

However, I want to end the culture of running the party by sharing positions,” said NC leader Shashanka Koirala, addressing a programme organised by Nepal Students Union at Shanti Batika this evening to mark the 13th day of late Koirala’s demise.