KATHMANDU: Senior leader Shekhar Koirala has expressed dissatisfaction over the expansion of the central working committee of Nepali Congress carried out by party president Gagan Thapa on Monday.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Koirala said the nomination of 19 members to the party’s central committee had weakened broader party unity.
“The nomination of 19 members to the Nepali Congress central committee on Baisakh 28 has hurt the party’s broader unity,” Koirala said in the statement.
He stressed the importance of maintaining unity within the party, saying the Nepali Congress would not be able to play an active and meaningful role in national politics without internal cohesion.
“My basic understanding is that without overall unity in the party, we cannot play an effective and meaningful role in national politics,” he said. “The results of past elections should have taught us a major lesson. The overall unity of the Nepali Congress is a national necessity. In this matter, positions and personalities become secondary.”
Koirala recalled that divisions within the party in the past had caused significant damage and weakened public trust in the Nepali Congress.
“The results we received in the recent general elections not only alarmed us but also inspired us to move forward with new thinking, vision and collective spirit,” he said.
Read also: Gagan Thapa inducts 19 leaders into Nepali Congress central working committee
Highlighting the importance of upcoming local and provincial elections, Koirala warned that failure to regain public confidence could raise questions about the relevance of the Nepali Congress in national politics.
“If we fail to win the trust of citizens again in these elections, there is a danger that the relevance of the Nepali Congress in national politics itself will be questioned,” he said.
Koirala also criticized factionalism and populist politics, expressing concern that democratic values and constitutionalism were under attack while party leaders remained divided into factions and sub-factions.
“Today, when constitutionalism and democracy are being endangered in the name of populism, it is surprising that we remain divided into factions and sub-factions,” he stated.
He further called for the party’s 15th General Convention to be conducted as a “unity convention” based on renewed and newly distributed active memberships following the 14th General Convention.
Koirala said he remained hopeful that leaders in decisive positions within the party would move forward with collective spirit and shared vision.
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