MORANG: Nepali Congress leader Dr Shekhar Koirala has said he deliberately chose a middle path to protect party unity and prevent a split during the recent internal dispute.
Speaking with party supporters at Sundarharaicha in Morang constituency No. 6 on Thursday, Koirala said he refrained from attending the party’s second special general convention to play a constructive role in keeping the party intact.
“At that time, one group was moving towards a special convention while another insisted on a regular convention. I chose the middle path so that the party would not split,” Koirala said.
He claimed that had he entered the special convention hall, the party would have inevitably split into two factions. “If I had gone into that hall, the party would have been divided into two,” he said.
Koirala further stated that attending the convention could also have opened the possibility of him becoming party president. However, he chose not to pursue that path after realizing it would lead to division within the party.
“If I had gone there, whether I became party president or not is a different matter, but the party would have split into two,” he added.
Koirala is once again contesting from Morang-6 with a ticket signed by party president Gagan Thapa, who was elected through the special convention. He faces a challenge from CPN-UML candidate Binod Dhakal in the constituency.
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