Deuba Faces Dissent Within Congress Over Lack of Consultations

Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba is facing growing dissent from senior party leaders who accuse him of making unilateral decisions without proper consultation. Seven prominent Congress leaders, including former vice-presidents Bimalendra Nidhi, Gopal Man Shrestha and Vijay Kumar Gachhadar, along with ex-ministers Prakashman Singh and Krishna Prasad Sitaula, met with Deuba in Budhanilkantha to express their dissatisfaction. The leaders criticized Deuba's failure to consult them on important decisions, particularly regarding political appointments, with Shrestha questioning why the previous practice of consultations had been abandoned. They also raised serious concerns about increasing corruption under the Congress-led government, noting several corruption cases had surfaced but no proper investigations or actions had followed. The dissenting leaders emphasized the need for transparent scrutiny of appointments and legal action against wrongdoers regardless of political affiliation. While Deuba reportedly assured them of holding consultations at appropriate times, the leaders remain skeptical given recent patterns of centralized decision-making. This internal rift highlights growing factional tensions within the party and comes at a time when the Congress government faces public criticism over governance and corruption issues.