KATHMANDU: The intra-party ruckus in the Nepali Congress (NC) party has touched a new height as both the establishment side and the disgruntled faction have called separate meetings on Thursday.
Senior party leader Ram Chandra Poudel, who leads the dissatisfied group, has turned down party President Sher Bahadur Deuba’s invitation to sit together to thrash out differences.
NC General Secretary Shashank Koirala, and party leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula, too, have joined hands with Poudel by boycotting the meeting called by Deuba to discuss contemporary issues, including the National Assembly election to be held on January 23.
Instead, they decided to hold a parallel meeting at Koirala’s residence to chart out their future course of action.
“Among other issues, the central meeting will discuss the National Assembly election, the working alliance with the Upendra Yadav-led Samajbadi Party,” Gyanendra Karki told Khabarhub.
Asked whether the meeting would continue without the absence of senior party leaders, Karki said it would continue. “The party needs to move ahead by any means,” he said adding that they were informed about the non-attendance of the disgruntled faction.
Meanwhile, Deepak Giri, a leader close to Poudel, informed that they would discuss their future agenda to confront the unilateral decisions of the party leadership.
Giri said that they are holding a meeting of the district presidents on January 6 to exert pressure on the party leadership to heed to their concerns.
“We will also discuss agendas for the January 6 meeting as well,” Giri told Khabarhub.
Poudel, Koirala and Sitaula had on Wednesday boycotted a meeting of NC office-bearers held at Deuba’s residence in Budhanilakantha as well since they are ‘infuriated’ with Deuba’s unilateral decision to extend his tenure for another one year.
The party’s central working committee meeting, or the party establishment side, had earlier this week decided to extend party President Deuba’s tenure by one year, which means that Deuba will remain as the party President until March 3, 2021. Deuba’s term had to expire in March this year.
Moreover, the central committee meeting’s decision to hold the general convention on February 19-22, 2021 further infuriated the disgruntled faction, which had been insisting that the convention be held within the stipulated time – that is in March 2020.
The establishment side meanwhile turned deaf ear to the demand of the Poudel-led faction, which has been insisting that the party held the convention in March.
NC President Deuba had on December 12 presented proposals that included increasing the number of party departments to 51 from 28, the formation of Nepal Tarun Dal, Nepal Students Union, among others to the central committee meeting for discussion.
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