KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has put forward alternative proposals in an effort to prevent a party split, even as he remains unwilling to resign from the party leadership.
Party spokesperson Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat said Deuba presented the proposals to General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma during talks held on Wednesday morning.
Speaking to journalists in Sanepa ahead of the Central Working Committee meeting, Mahat said the two general secretaries did not ask Deuba to refrain from contesting the upcoming election.
“The general secretaries did not tell President Deuba not to contest the election. When asked about this in Wednesday’s meeting, both of them said no,” Mahat said. “Deuba has even said he would not sign off on ticket distribution.”
Mahat said Deuba also proposed that the agendas of the Special General Convention, which has been ongoing for four days, be endorsed by the Central Working Committee.
“He had earlier said even proportional representation tickets could be distributed through consultation. This time, he is ready to give up his signature on direct election tickets as well. If my signature creates a problem, I am ready to hand over that responsibility to someone else. The Congress is important, not my signature,” Mahat quoted Deuba as saying.
According to Mahat, Deuba has shown maximum flexibility to preserve party unity. “He has told them to bring everyone together. He has said the party should not be divided. He is even ready to give up his authority to sign if that helps maintain unity,” he said.
Mahat added that Deuba had also reminded the leaders of his past flexibility. “He said he had always listened to everyone and moved forward with consensus. If unity can be maintained by allowing someone else to sign parliamentary tickets, he is ready for that,” Mahat said.
He said the Central Working Committee had already decided on National Assembly and proportional representation tickets, and Deuba’s signature was used for those. “If someone else needs to sign the direct election tickets, he is ready for that,” Mahat said.
Despite offering to give up key powers, Deuba has not agreed to step down as party president, nor to stay out of the upcoming parliamentary elections, which remains the main point of disagreement with the general secretaries.
As a result, talks have failed to reach a settlement, leaving the party locked in a deepening leadership crisis.
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