KATHMANDU: In an effort to resolve the intensifying internal dispute within the Nepali Congress in Bagmati Province, the party’s central committee has deputed central member and Kathmandu-10 lawmaker Rajendra Kumar KC as a mediator.
KC traveled to Hetauda on Sunday to initiate talks between Bagmati Chief Minister and Parliamentary Party Leader Bahadur Singh Lama and provincial president Indra Baniya, whose faction recently filed a no-confidence motion against Lama.
Speaking to Khabarhub before departing, KC said, “A no-confidence motion has been filed against Chief Minister Lama by fellow party members. The central committee has tasked me with facilitating dialogue between the two sides to resolve the dispute.”
The central leadership assigned KC in accordance with Clause 22(2) of the Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party’s statute, which states that a no-confidence motion against the party’s parliamentary leader must be supported by more than 50% of the party’s parliamentary members, and that such a motion must be reviewed in the presence of either the party president, general secretary, or a designated observer.
KC has been sent as such an observer to oversee developments in Hetauda and mediate talks between the warring factions.
The dispute stems from an internal agreement made when Lama assumed the Chief Minister’s post — he had reportedly pledged to step down after one year, a promise the Baniya faction claims he has not fulfilled. Citing breach of agreement, Baniya and 20 other provincial lawmakers filed a no-confidence motion on Friday, putting Lama’s leadership under serious threat.
The situation has now drawn the attention of the central leadership in Kathmandu, underscoring the high stakes involved.
Currently, the Nepali Congress holds 37 seats in the Bagmati Provincial Assembly. If KC fails to broker a compromise, the dispute is expected to culminate in a formal vote of confidence, which could either reaffirm Lama’s leadership or pave the way for a new parliamentary party leader.
Comment