Kathmandu, May 17: Nepali Congress leader and former acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka has said that Gagan Thapa has not been able to function as the chairperson of the entire party and is effectively limited to leading “Sanepa only,” referring to the party headquarters.
Speaking at a discussion program titled “Nepali Congress, Broader Unity and Future Direction” organized by the party’s Karnali Province Committee in Birendranagar on Saturday, Khadka argued that Thapa has not yet emerged as a unifying leader of the whole party.
He recalled that during the era of Girija Prasad Koirala, the party both split and reunited under his leadership, and suggested that similar responsibility for keeping the party united or leading it toward division now rests with Thapa.
Khadka said he had also raised this issue in a recent meeting with the party president and vice presidents, warning that the party stands at a critical point.
“I told them we are standing at the edge of division. We should not go down that path. Whether to unite the party or split it lies in your hands,” he said.
He also said that after a court verdict reinstated the leadership, they accepted the current president, but stressed that the leader must act as the head of the entire Nepali Congress, not a limited faction.
Khadka further claimed that the party’s special general convention had weakened its electoral strength. He said the Congress was reduced to 38 seats due to the internal process, while the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) rose close to a two-thirds position.
“Had that not happened, the political situation of the country would have been different,” he added.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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