APPOINTMENTS MADE TO NC DEPARTMENTS BONE OF CONTENTION

KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 6

The Nepali Congress faction led by Ramchandra Paudel is preparing to serve an ultimatum to party President Sher Bahadur Deuba, asking him to rescind recent appointments made to party departments and stop high-handedness in the distribution of active NC membership.

NC Central Working Committee member Arjun Narsingh KC, who is close to Paudel, told THT that the Paudel-led faction was preparing the draft of an ultimatum, which would by served Deuba within the next couple of days. He said leaders close to Paudel were riled with the establishment faction, but wanted to iron out differences through dialogue.

“We should be fighting against the government for its misrule and failure to handle the COVID-19 crisis, but instead we are compelled to fight against our own establishment faction, as it continues to take unilateral action and flout democratic norms and values,” said KC.

He added that Deuba was distributing party’s active membership to his own loyalists with the hope of winning the next presidency. “In some districts, Deuba has authorised district presidents to play lead role in distributing active membership, while in others he has authorised district chapters to take key decisions on active membership. He has done so to suit his political interests,” said KC.

KC said when late NC president Sushil Koirala formed party departments in the fourth year of his tenure before it was about end, Deuba had protested against Koirala and forced him to roll back his decision, but now Deuba was doing the same after his regular four-year term had ended. “We are scheduled to hold our national convention within a few months.

Since the national convention also elects party leadership, election code of conduct applies.

Deuba’s appointments in party departments violate the election code of conduct,”

KC added. He said the NC party statute allowed formation of only 28 party departments, but Deuba had formed 47 departments.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on September 7, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.