KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress leader Gopalman Shrestha launched a fierce attack against party president Sher Bahadur Deuba, accusing him of repeated betrayal and political injustice.
Speaking during the ongoing Central Working Committee meeting at the party’s headquarters in Sanepa on Sunday, Shrestha said he had been sidelined for years despite his long-standing loyalty to the party.
“Ganeshman Singh and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai were made to leave the party in tears, but I won’t leave crying—I’ll stay and fight. Remember, I’m ready to go down battling,” Shrestha declared.
He recounted how Deuba persuaded him not to run for party president during the 14th General Convention by promising support in the 15th. “He called me to Baluwatar and asked me to support him. I trusted him. But as the next convention neared, he abandoned us,” Shrestha said.
He added that Deuba and his wife Arzu Rana had personally requested him not to contest, but failed to honor their words or show any recognition afterward. “Ram Chandra Paudel became president, Shashank Koirala, Bishwa Prakash Sharma, Bimalendra Nidhi, Bijay Gachhadar—they all got something. But Gopalman? Not even a proposal to make me a senior leader,” he lamented.
Shrestha also accused Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka of attempting to undermine him and referenced unaddressed grievances from the 2017 general elections. “I filed a complaint about betrayal in 75 districts. But only Tanahun and Kailali were selectively acted upon,” he said, referring to actions taken against Govind Raj Joshi and Pushkar Nath Ojha.
He warned Deuba not to treat veteran leaders like parents abandoned in old-age homes. “Don’t treat me like I’m disposable. I’m not going anywhere. I won’t quit like Ganeshman and Kishunji—I’ll stand my ground and fight, even if I have to do it alone,” he said.
Shrestha also criticized the party’s failure to defend its own leaders in legal troubles. “When Krishna Bahadur Mahara was convicted, the Maoists protected him. The UML defends its people too. But Congress let Vijay Gachhadar, Govind Raj Joshi, and Khum Bahadur Khadka face corruption cases without lifting a finger,” he said, accusing party leadership of simply watching from the sidelines.
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