Overwhelming majority of Nepali people who showered their electorate mandate to the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) with high hopes of stability and prosperity are now worried and angry. Their concerns and sense of uncertainty emanates from the ongoing feud of the top leaders of the party. Equally worrying is the fact that the intra-party debate is not centred on refinement of ideology or the correction of the government’s path. Transfer of power and posts seems to be the central demand of the dissenting camp. When discontents become a matter of personal ego and clashes of interests, the unwelcome bickering threatens the very unity of the party. That is why the party rank and file and the electorate are in a state of anxiety lest their long cherished dream of unity, stability and development gets shattered. There is a fear that petty discontents might turn into division. This is the last thing Nepali people want to see. The party needs visionary statesmen rather than short-sighted leaders to empower the people and transform the nation. If a party of such a strong stature and electorate mandate cannot deliver, who else can?

Things will head to become worse if other leaders and rank and file take the side of one camp or other. More than five dozen lawmakers of the ruling NCP have come forward with an important message of siding with no warring camp, but instead exerting pressure on the feuding leaders to keep the party unity intact. Sixty-one NCP parliamentarians on Sunday joined hands and put collective signatures with their resolve to not take sides in the petty quarrel that jeopardises party unity. They have also strongly urged the feuding leaders to bury hatchet and come to reconciliation. They have warned them to refrain from making factions, camps and equations that ultimately threaten the unity of the party. This is a principle of non-alignment that discourages the tendency of pulling rug under the feet of friends. The leaders need to free themselves from narrow interests and see the political spectrum in a broader national and international perspective. When in doubt and dilemma, one needs to return to the dwellings of common citizens and take their advice rather than getting bogged down in petty bickering. Factionalism is what mars the cementing process of the party. In this regard, the call of the 61 lawmakers should be heeded seriously.

Recently, NCP leader Bamdev Gautam floated his six-point proposal to save the ruling party from splitting. He has pointed to the fact that resignation of KP Oli as Prime Minister and party chair will not bring a magical solution. However, he stressed assignment of government and party responsibilities in due process. This calls for patience, understanding and environment of conciliation. Adding energy to Bamdev’s proposal is the latest call of 61 NCP MPs not to align with any bickering faction and not to keep faith on the so-called equation for power and posts. When the voice against factionalism gets louder and stronger, bickering leaders will be discouraged. The leaders need to know that NCP’s division may make some internal and external elements happy but it will inflict serious harm to Nepal and Nepalis.