By Our Reporter
The Nepali Congress seems to have divided over the issue of the dissolution of the House of Representatives, with party president Sher Deuba being soft to the unconstitutional move of the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and the Ram Chandra Paudel faction strongly opposing the move and demanding reinstatement of the House.
While leaders close to Ram Chandra Paudel and Krishna Sitaula have strongly criticised the House dissolution as well as Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Deuba has only termed the move unconstitutional.
Moreover, the Paudel faction wants to intensify street demonstrations against the House dissolution, Deuba has been stating that street demonstrations would be an unnecessary pressure on the court while the issue is still sub judice.
Meanwhile, Deuba has instructed general secretary Dr. Shahank Koirala and other leaders not to raise the demand of the House reinstatement. Deuba has been arguing that when the Nepal Communist Party has not divided formally, they can be united again, as such siding with a faction could be suicidal.
However, other leaders as well as well the party wishers have smelt rat in such arguments, because they believed that Prime Minister Oli had consulted with Deuba several times before taking the unconstitutional move. Furthermore, it will be Deuba who will benefit the most from the division in the NCP and in case elections are held because, NC will win or emerge as the largest party when the divided NCPs contest the April polls. And if the House gets reinstated, both the Oli and Prachanda-Nepal factions are likely to offer him the post of the Prime Minister. So Deuba does not want to hurt either faction of the NCP by tilting towards one faction.
However, leaders like Ram Chandra Paudel, Prakash Man Singh, Gagan Thapa, Krishna Sitaula, Dr Shekhar Koirala and Arjun Narasigh KC have been arguing that PM Oli will not hold the elections, he will resort to other undemocratic moves to consolidate power. Again they said when the House dissolution was against the constitution, it must be corrected, but Deuba seems to have given importance to his personal benefit.
As said above, Deuba, as the president of the main opposition, will benefit the most if the House gets reinstated or elections are held, and if he holds the party general convention as a Prime Minister, he will also capture the party lawfully. This is why he is liberal to House dissolution.
But the rival factions have taken the issue for two separate reasons, they want to prove that both Oli and Deuba are wrong when the House gets reinstated. Although the NC rival leaders cannot prevent Deuba from becoming the new Prime Minister in either condition until Deuba remains the parliamentary party leader, they have thrown their strength to weaken Deuba’s grip in the party. For example, the House dissolution has already brought Paudel and Sitaual camps together.
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