Rival NC factions fail to forge consensus

Kathmandu, December 20

The establishment and rival factions of the Nepali Congress engaged in a marathon informal meeting to iron out difference on the contents of the party’s draft statute, particularly on the number of office bearers and their election or selection, but failed to reach any agreement today.

According to a leader of the establishment faction, party President Sher Bahadur Deuba suggested the provisions for one president, two vice-presidents (one to be nominated by the president) two general secretaries and seven joint-general secretaries representing inclusion  clusters including Madhesi, Janajati and Khas Arya, but the Ramchandra Paudel faction did not agree to his proposal.

Ramchandra Paudel told THT that Deuba wanted to delay the meeting of the Central Working Committee and prolong the ongoing Maha Samiti meeting. “Deuba wants to nominate people in the party structures to gain control in the name of inclusion,” Paudel said and added that he told him to bring his proposal to the CWC meeting. “But he is not calling the CWC meeting,” he added.

Closed door   Maha Samiti meetings were held today at the party headquarters but just for an hour in the evening where more than a dozen Maha Samiti members spoke.

A leader of the establishment faction told THT  that the top leaders had agreed to extend the Maha Samiti meeting till December 22 to coincide with the birth anniversary of late NC President Krishna Prasad Bhattarai. The next meeting of the Maha Samiti has been scheduled for tomorrow.

Maha Samiti member Jagdishwar Narsingh KC said the establishment faction was trying to postpone the Maha Samiti meeting so that they could incorporate provisions in the statute to suit their interests.

KC, who is from the Paudel faction, said that the leaders’ agreement to make  Central Working Committee members automatic representatives of Maha Samit was wrong.

The establishment faction wants to distribute tickets to all candidates, including the candidates running for ward level elections. The Central Working Committee should issue tickets only to those candidates running for federal positions in the elections, KC argued.

He said the establishment faction wanted to continue candidates under the inclusion quota such as Madhesi, Dalit, Janajati and women, but there should be a provision to bar inclusion quota candidates from becoming candidates from the same clusters the next time. “This will give chance to other members of Dalit, Janajati, women and Madhesi groups to get elected. If we don’t do this, new members of those groups will not get a chance to rise to party’s higher posts.”

Paudel had yesterday suggested holding the party’s General Convention from 19 February 2020. He submitted his timeline for the key functions he thinks the party should accomplish. Paudel suggested holding provincial conventions from January 30 and national awareness drive from 31 December till mid-July 2019. He also suggested the party start its campaign targeting the next elections from April 2022.