KATHMANDU: Stakeholders have called for conducting the ninth national general convention of the Nepal Press Union (NPU), a common trade union organization of democratic journalists.
At a special gathering hosted on the occasion of 31st establishment day of NPU in the federal capital today, the stakeholders strongly demanded for ensuring timely general convention of the organization.
They lambasted leadership for not conducting the general convention in eight years and nine months which they said had to be held in three years. Against the backdrop, the stakeholders called for conducting general convention of NPU at the earliest.
Nepali Congress (NC) central member and Member of Parliament Prakash Rasaili said it was very disheartening to know that the organization of journalists – who are the watchdog to put things in proper place – has not been able to conduct its election in a timely manner.
The party leadership should be serious towards timely completing the general convention of its sister and benevolent organizations, he noted.
Former general secretary of NPU and NC central member Ajaya Babu Shiwakoti said that the current leadership should show readiness to accomplish the general convention without any delay.
NC central member Pratima Gautam said democracy has been gradually weakening due to lack of commitment to timely completing the general convention of the sister and benevolent organizations of the party.
NPU Founder Hari Adhikari said it was not tolerable to halt the general convention of the NPU in different pretexts.
Another founder of NPU Shovakar Parajuli cautioned leadership to put corrective measures to avoid accident in the organization’s life. NPU’s former presidents, Ramesh Toofan, Kulchandra Wagle and Kiran Pokharel said the image of the NPU has been waning for its inability to timely hold general convention. They called for leadership to fix the date for general convention without any delay.
Former chairpersons of Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) Dr Suresh Acharya and Taranath Dahal said the NPU should be run in a systematic way.
NPU advisors kabir Rana and Shiva Lamsal said the leadership should be ready to hand over the leadership in a smooth and timely fashion.
NPU deputy general secretary Saloja Dahal, secretary Khila Karki, Kathmandu chapter President Jagannath Dulal, former president Nakul Aryal, union leaders Damodar Prasad Dawadi and Ramjee Dahal among others said the gathering was organized to host the general convention in an official manner. They said the gathering has mandated to organize the general convention at the earliest.
The special gathering has decided to host the NPU ninth general convention on coming June 11-12 in Kathmandu.
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