Bickering Weakens NC's Stance

The Nepali Congress (NC) recently held its annual tea reception to offer wishes on the occasion of the Dashain. At the function attended by top political leaders and party workers, president Sher Bahadur Deuba announced that the party's rank and file was solidly unified. The president seems to have done his utmost to alleviate the party's present internal turmoil, which has been on display for several years.

The Congress has been marred by division into two groups, each commanded by the party's president and senior leader, Shekhar Koirala. The difference between the two groups came to its head three weeks ago, when the Koirala group revolted against the party leadership to help form a new provincial government in Koshi Province. Given the flexible provisions of the constitution and Koshi politics, the Deuba-led party establishment and other ruling coalition partners were powerless to prevent Koirala's supporter and Congress assembly member Kedar Karki from becoming the new chief minister by rebelling against the party and ruling coalition.

Question over leadership 

Since Deuba became party president and stayed in the position for a long time, factionalism has only grown in the country’s oldest democratic party. He has been under fire for failing to democratise its sister organisations and, more significantly, the party itself. It has become evident that the main point of conflict inside the party is the issue of leadership. President Deuba wields considerable clout inside the party and dominates its parliamentary body. Koirala, a notable politician and member of the powerful Koirala family, has, on the other hand, consistently questioned Deuba's leadership. Although Koirala lost the presidential election to Deuba and did not win the parliamentary election, he has remained a significant leader with the potential to confront Deuba and the establishment.

According to observers, Koirala's argument revolves around the party's need for more inclusive and open leadership. He has criticised Deuba's leadership style as overly centralised and pro-establishment and has therefore urged for increased democratisation, openness, and participation in the party's decision-making process. Meanwhile, the establishment's 'failure to judiciously allow' some party and ministerial positions in central and provincial government to the parliamentarians of Shekhar group has exacerbated mistrust between the two factions. The rival group has General Secretary Gagan Thapa as a key member, who is known for his anti-Deuba stance, but sometimes draws flak for undermining Shekhar’s status. 

Disagreements over party policies are other points of discord between two top leaders. As a centrist political party, the Nepali Congress has struggled to define its stance on crucial topics, one of which is whether the Congress, the largest partner of the ruling coalition, should be an ally of the CPN-Maoist Centre and allow it to remain in the government despite the ex-rebels third position in parliamentary standing. Deuba, who has served as Nepal's Prime Minister on several occasions, has chosen a more flexible approach, frequently partnering with different political factions to 'maintain political stability' in the nation. 

Koirala has spoken out on topics such as federalism, secularism, monarchy, and the role of religion in Nepali politics, which have not always been well received by the party establishment and the ruling coalition. Koirala has aired his views on these matters, resulting in a public show of disagreement inside the party. The internal conflict within the NC has, without doubt, its consequences. It can weaken public trust and impair the party's cohesiveness. At a time when Nepal has challenges to attain economic prosperity, development, political stability, and issues related to its foreign relations, a fractured ruling coalition's major party has the potential to dent the country's true stance on these issues.

Furthermore, the division in the Nepali Congress may jeopardise the party's ability to serve as a genuine check and balance on the Maoist-headed government. Failure to forge unity within the party on crucial topics may dissuade other coalition parties, who may be persuaded to leave the Congress alliance and form forces with other opposition parties. The communist parties under the Maoist Centre's leadership formed a socialist front and often threatened to form a new communist party at the expense of the Congress and other non-communist parties. Internal strife may also allow other political groups to gain momentum. For example, if the Nepali Congress continues with its internal strife, it will benefit groups such as the Rastriya Swatantra Party, which is gaining support at the expense of conventional parties such as the Congress and the CPN-UML.

Favourable stance

Traditional parties have failed to adopt effective policies and programmes to address the nation's gaping concerns throughout the years, weakening their appeal and allowing new forces to emerge. High price increases, corruption, crimes, and other anomalies such as youth migrations and human rights abuses abound in the country, but the major parties have failed to address these anomalies and aberrations. Against such a backdrop, the Nepali Congress may face a difficult struggle to obtain as many parliamentary seats in the next general elections as it did in the last general elections.

The centrist Congress must find a method to overcome its factional divide, cultivate unity, and develop a clear and consistent path to emerge strong in the nation's politics, which of late has been dominated by communists of many hues and colours, and perform better in the next elections. To achieve this, the party president must take a favourable stance and recognise that the Koirala group must be given appropriate consideration in the party's numerous organisations and ministerial seats. Both leaders must settle issues of policy disagreements and come up with a single stand on crucial topics dominating the country's political narratives at present. Meanwhile, the Koirala camp must remember not to push the establishment too far on these issues. However, it is encouraging to see that senior leader Koirala has attempted to repair his relationship with Deuba, which is a hopeful indication for many Congressmen who want to see their party continue at the forefront of national politics.

(The author is former managing editor of this daily.)