Kathmandu, Jan 3: A sharp two-day standoff inside the Nepali Congress has pushed internal tensions to a peak, raising open fears of a party split. The dispute centres on one question: should the party hold a regular general convention or convene a special one first?
On Friday, the party’s Executive Committee, meeting at the central office in Sanepa, endorsed by a majority a proposal to hold the 15th general convention from Baisakh 28 to 31. The decision, tabled by Acting President Purna Bahadur Khadka, immediately exposed deep divisions at the top.
General secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma, along with co-general secretary Farmullah Mansur and Executive Committee members Arjun Narsingh KC and Uma Regmi, registered formal dissent. Speaking after the meeting, Thapa said he and several senior leaders opposed the decision to hold the convention in Baisakh.
Party spokesperson Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat said the revised schedule was approved after it became impossible to hold the convention on the earlier proposed dates. Under the new calendar, ward and regional conventions will begin from Chaitra 21, leading up to the general convention in Baisakh.
Thapa, however, has taken a parallel line. He has reiterated that a special convention must be held by the end of Poush and has called on general convention delegates from across the country to come to Kathmandu. He said a decision on whether the special convention would be formally called by the Central Working Committee would be clear within a day or two.
Thapa argues that the party statute overrides committee decisions. Citing Article 17(2), he said the Central Working Committee is bound to implement the statute and that the general secretaries are responsible for ensuring compliance if the committee fails to do so.
His position draws strength from a petition submitted on Asoj 29, when 2,488 delegates demanded a special convention. The party statute mandates that if 40 percent of delegates make such a demand, a special convention must be held within three months. Thapa says that the deadline expires by the end of Poush.
The establishment faction rejects this claim. Former vice president Bimalendra Nidhi said the relevance of a special convention ended on Mangsir 15, when the schedule for the regular convention was announced. Thapa’s camp disputes that interpretation, arguing that delegates retain their mandate as long as the Central Working Committee remains in office.
Adding to the strain, establishment leaders warn that a special convention could split the party. Thapa has countered by asking why the statute includes provisions for a special convention if it is considered dangerous.
With one camp calling delegates to Kathmandu by the end of Poush and the other preparing for a Baisakh convention, delegates remain unsure which path to follow. The parallel preparations have drawn visible fault lines inside the party, even as many leaders still hope for a last-minute compromise.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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