KATHMANDU: The 12th General Convention (GC) of the Nepali Congress is unlikely despite mounting pressure from party leaders and ranks and file to hold it at the earliest. Party’s internal disputes and leaders’ vested interests have been impeding convening of the GC.

The party is unable

to hold its convention even as the tenure of party’s working committees at

all levels expired one and half years ago.

Some influential leaders of the party are deliberately lingering the preparatory works. They have put off the convention for three times, said a party source, adding that those leaders still want to postpone the GC.

As per NC statute, GC can not be held later than mid-September, 2010. According to the statute, the GC was already delayed by one and half years. However, the party statute allows the Central Committee of the party to allow two more years for the same. The 11th GC was held from August 30 to September 2 in 2005 in Lalitpur.

According to party sources, influential leaders of the party would want to hold the convention at their own convenient time so as to bag key posts. This is cited as one of the main causes for repeated postponement of the GC. Another throttling obstacles for convening the GC on time is their inability to settle internal disputes regarding the unification row of the NC and the then NC-D, they said. NC and NC-D had merged two and half years ago.

Of late, the party called its CC meeting on February 9 to fix a new date for the GC. The CC directed office bearers to bring a new timeline for convening the GC. A meeting of office bearers, on February 10, proposed that the GC be convened from June 10 to 14. The issue was, then, brought to next day’s CC meet but it remains pending before the CC.

Commenting on the issue, party spokesperson Arjun Narsingh KC said, “The CC meeting, which will be held in a couple of days, will take decision in this regard.”

However, CC member Narahari Acharya said, “Although the leaders publicly say that they want to convene the GC at the earliest, their actions are in contrary to their views. The leaders who hold key positions seem to be engaged in visiting different districts on publicity campaigns so as to garner popular support in the upcoming GC.”

Party sources maintained that those leaders want to hold the GC in mid-September, which is the final deadline. “The CC members have repeatedly demanded for a preparation committee for the convention, but office bearers show their indifference on this. It shows how interested they are they to hold the GC,” Acharya added.

Likewise, NC chief whip Laxman Ghimire said that the office bearers should answer about why they failed to hold the convention despite demand to hold it at the earliest.