KATHMANDU: Several long-time allies of former Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba are increasingly aligning themselves with party president Gagan Kumar Thapa, highlighting shifting alliances within the party ahead of its 15th General Convention.
The latest to signal a change is former Joint General Secretary Kishor Singh Rathour, who declared at a Nepali Congress dissident faction gathering in Lumbini Province on Tuesday that he would remain in the party regardless of his political future.
“If I can, I will continue doing politics. If not, I will grow potatoes. But I will not leave the Nepali Congress,” Rathour said.
A close confidant of Deuba for more than three decades, Rathour questioned what Deuba’s long-time supporters had gained from backing his leadership.
“Ten of us stood behind Sher Bahadur Deuba and accepted him as our leader. What did we get in return?” he asked while addressing the gathering, drawing strong reactions from party leaders and cadres.
Rathour also announced that he would update his active party membership through the party’s digital system and urged other members to do the same, despite reservations expressed by sections of the dissident camp over the digital membership update process.
Rathour has been associated with Deuba since the 1990 People’s Movement and was widely regarded as one of the former prime minister’s trusted allies. Following the party’s 13th General Convention, Deuba nominated him to the party’s Central Working Committee in May 2016.
He later defeated current party spokesperson Devaraj Chalise to become Joint General Secretary at the party’s 14th General Convention in 2021 and was considered one of Deuba’s strongest public defenders.
However, Rathour has now openly criticized the previous leadership, saying the establishment faction had taken two decades to consolidate its position only to lose it under those entrusted with its leadership.
He also made clear that he intends to continue his political struggle within the party under Thapa’s leadership rather than leaving the Nepali Congress.
Lumbini party chief backs Rathour
Lumbini Province President Amar Singh Pun said Rathour’s remarks reflected the frustrations of leaders and cadres who had devoted years to the party but had not received opportunities matching their capabilities.
Pun said many leaders who remained outside positions of power despite their qualifications were committed to strengthening the party, and Rathour’s comments should be viewed in that context.
He also noted that Lumbini Province has recorded the highest number of digital active membership updates, although final figures are yet to be compiled.
Other Deuba allies also shifting
Rathour is not alone in distancing himself from Deuba.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Gopal Man Shrestha, who played a key role in supporting Deuba’s rise to the prime ministership on multiple occasions, also publicly criticized the former party chief during the party’s second special convention.
Shrestha accused Deuba of adopting an authoritarian style of leadership and said he regretted supporting him during difficult times.
Likewise, former Minister of State Umesh Shrestha, who served in the Deuba-led government and later held the party’s treasurer position, has also moved closer to Thapa after being reappointed as party treasurer following the special convention.
Other leaders, including Joint General Secretary Jeevan Pariyar, who was elected from the Shekhar Koirala camp during the 14th General Convention, have also aligned themselves with the current party leadership.
Senior leader Dr. Minendra Rijal has likewise indicated that working under Thapa’s leadership is now the only practical course.
Meanwhile, Shashanka Koirala, brother of senior dissident leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala, publicly declared his support for Thapa during a party event on June 29.
The developments suggest that a growing number of leaders who once stood with the Deuba establishment are now choosing to remain within the party while backing the leadership that emerged from the special general convention.
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