Will NC maintain unity in CWC meeting?

Ram Prasad Dahal,Kathmandu, July 18: The Nepali Congress, Nepal’s grand old party, is now mired in internal disputes. Ahead of its Central Working Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, disputes between the party’s establishment led by party president Sher Bahadur Deuba and the rival faction led by leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala have spilled over in different manifestations. 

Mainly party general secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa, who is from Dr. Koirala’s faction, has been accusing the party president of keeping the party in a status quo. He also publicly threatened that he would move to change the party’s Parliamentary Party leader to prevent Deuba from becoming Prime Minister next time. But, his faction leader Dr. Koirala has kept mum over changing the party’s parliamentary party leader. 

There are many issues that the office bearers of the party have not resolved to date after the party's 14th general convention on December 13-15, 2021. The party has not performed tasks as provisioned in the statute, and the rival faction has pointed its finger at Deuba for all that.

As per the statute, the party president should nominate 33 Central Working Committee members and a few members in the party Central Work Execution Committee, but he has appointed only 23 members in the CWC, not the party’s treasurer, has not formulated the party parliamentary committee and has still not constituted 26 departments, as per the statute all this should have been done within three to six months of a general convention.

The party has called the CWC meeting for Tuesday after a gap of one year, violating the statutory provision, according to which it should be convened every two months, not holding the party's sister and well-wisher organisations’ general conventions and not fixing the dates of the party general committee convention and policy convention.

NC leader Pradeep Paudel, who is close to Thapa, said many issues were boiling in the NC due to a long gap of its CWC meeting. He said in the CWC meeting the party leaders were likely to discuss the future road map of the party, review the election results, expand party organisation, encourage NC rank and file and link policy with people, governance as well as national issues.

"There is speculation that disputes will arise while discussing the issues in the NC CWC meeting as it is scheduled after a long time. But we think this is not a dispute but a process and we will settle all issues through the CWC meeting," he said. NC leader Meen Bishwokarma claimed there were no issues in the party to create disputes. 

Bishwokarma, who is also publicity department chief, said prevalence of disputes is felt in the party as party position holders have been making internal matters public in their speeches.

"There are no issues of dispute. But presence of disputes is felt when those in party leadership are raising the issues that need to be kept confidential in the party," he said.

Political analysts also viewed that NC's current disputes were artificial, not deep ones. 

"Party general secretaries duo told that they would revolt from the party, but why? There is no issue," said political science Professor Ramesh Shrestha. 

He said it was not suitable for party general secretary to come out publicly as the responsible post holder can discuss the issues within the party by demanding the CWC meeting as per party statute provision. 

Prof. Shrestha said non-issue disputes would be settled from the CWC as the organisational grip of party president is high and general secretaries are weak.

It is not new that the factional disputes in the NC have existed since establishment phase. Due to disputes between BP Koirala and Matrika Prasad Koirala, the party had split in 2009 BS. In 2059 BS, the party had split due to disputes between party president Girija Prasad Koirala and then Prime Minister Sher  Bahadur Deuba. 

"Now general secretaries have no strength to split the party. It was proved from the last election of the party parliamentary party leader. So, politics like the Free Students' Union in the NC has no meaning," said Prof. Shrestha.