KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretary Gagan Thapa has said that holding a special general convention has become mandatory in accordance with the party statute.
Responding after receiving a memorandum submitted by proponents of the special general convention, Thapa stated that no one has the authority to ignore or bypass the party’s statute.
He said that the memorandum would be presented at the meeting of the Central Working Committee. “No one is above the party statute, and no one has the privilege to disregard it,” General Secretary Thapa said.
According to Article 17(2) of the party statute, a special general convention must be convened within three months if at least 40 percent of general convention delegates submit a written demand. In line with this provision, a proposal demanding a special general convention, bearing the signatures of 2,488 delegates, was submitted to Acting President Purna Bahadur Khadka recently.
General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma received the memorandum at the party’s central office. Reacting after receiving it, Thapa said the matter would be raised in the ongoing meeting of the Central Working Committee.
“The special general convention now falls under the mandatory responsibility of the Central Working Committee. It is no longer optional,” Thapa said. He added that if the 15th general convention had already been held, the demand would have automatically become irrelevant. “It is mandatory to address your demand. The committee will discuss how to proceed on this compulsory matter,” he told the proponents.
The proponents of the special general convention have stated that their demand would automatically become inactive if a regular general convention is held.
Meanwhile, General Secretary Bishwo Prakash Sharma said that it is the responsibility of the two general secretaries to implement the party statute. He added that the Central Working Committee should take appropriate decisions on the demand and move forward accordingly.
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