Kathmandu, January 9

More than 50 district committee presidents of the Nepali Congress today submitted a five-point memorandum to NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, urging him to correct the central working committee’s decision of December 27 suspending the clauses of the party’s statute on the basis of majority.

The NC district presidents who assembled in Kathmandu said in the memorandum that the CWC’s decision to roll back two major decisions of the Maha Samiti meeting held in December last year — election of all central working committee members from the booth level and one person one opportunity in proportional and reservation quotas — were against the statute provisions. “We urge the leadership to correct the decision,” read the memorandum.

The memorandum stated that all decisions related to the national convention of the party had been taken by the full CWC on the basis of consensus ever since the NC’s inception, but that tradition was broken on December 27 when the CWC adopted the national convention calendar on the basis of majority. “This decision has resulted in severe dispute in party and that must be resolved at the earliest,” they stated.

Similarly, the district presidents also urged that the constitution of sister organisations be in line with provisions in the party statute.

On the contentious issue of distribution/ renewal of active membership of the party, the district presidents urged the leadership to constitute an ‘active membership investigation special committee’ to ensure free and fair national convention.

The main opposition party is currently embroiled in the worst ever factional dispute.

Despite objections from the Ramchandra Paudel faction, the establishment faction led by Deuba on December 27 suspended certain clauses of the party’s statute on the basis of majority.

The CWC, boycotted by the Paudel camp, had also decided on the basis of majority to adopt the calendar for the 14th National Convention to be held on mid-March next year and to increase the number of party departments, and extend the tenure of the NC sister wing Tarun Dal.

To pressure the Nepali Congress leadership to ‘correct’ its decisions, the Paudel camp had assembled more than 44 NC district presidents in Kathmandu. They had held discussions for the last three days.

Subsequently, party President Deuba invited the district presidents to his residence this morning to listen to their concerns.

Nepali Congress Nuwakot district president Jagdishwor Narsingh KC said the meeting with Deuba was fruitful as they briefed him about the outcome of the three-day consultations in Kathmandu. “The party president told us that he was committed to ending the ongoing dispute by holding talks with disgruntled leaders,” said KC.