The new party statute has not fixed the tenure of leaders in the party structure enabling top brass to retain their posts for as long as they want

Kathmandu, July 28

Removal of some old provisions from the new statute of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) related to tenure of office bearers and age bar has angered some top leaders of the party, including members of the party’s secretariat and standing committee.

The old statute had stated that office bearers of the party committees would not be able to serve more than two terms in the same posts, but this provision was removed from the new statute to suit the top leaders of the party, including chairpersons KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, said party sources. This means top leaders can occupy posts for as long as they want. Party sources said that the party needed to fix the term limit for leaders to enable new leaders to rise to the top hierarchy of the party structures.

Standing committee member Beduram Bhusal told The Himalayan times, “New leaders should be able to replace old leaders on the basis of their ability.” According to him, the upcoming general convention, which is the supreme body of the party, could ensure this.

The party’s secretariat had mandated Oli and Dahal to finalise the statute, telling them to incorporate all major provisions of the old statute in the new one, but the two leaders made major changes in the new statute and party leader Bamdev Gautam also aided them.

Party leaders had reached tentative agreement on barring leaders from holding any executive post after reaching the age of 70 years, but the top leaders did not incorporate this provision in the new statute, said a standing committee leader on condition of anonymity. He said that when some leaders asked the top leaders to explain the reasons for not incorporating provisions of age bar in the new statute, the top leaders kept mum. The standing committee meeting has not been called after the statute issues came up.

The NCP (NCP) had submitted a statute to the Election Commission after unification of the party but it decided to replace the statute with a new one.

Following the party unification on May 17, the NCP had submitted the old version of the party statute to the Election Commission.

The new statute states that the general convention of the unified party will make its rules, procedure and structure on the basis of consensus and understanding. The new statute does not clearly say that the new leadership will be elected through the first General Convention of the unified party. The upcoming general convention will be held within two years.

“I have not read the new version of the statute.  I do not know how the new statute was finalised and sent for printing” NCP (NCP) Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha, who is also a secretariat member, told The Himalayan Times. The new statute was printed after it was endorsed by the secretariat. Some leaders had raised issues related to the new statute in today’s secretariat meeting held at Baluwatar.