Politician Jitendra Dev Rejoins Nepali Congress After Brief Stint with CPN-UML

Jitendra Dev, who joined the CPN-UML in Ashar 2081 after receiving a 'tika' (mark of acceptance) from UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, has returned to the Nepali Congress.

He was inducted back into the Congress by the party's district president Ramdev Sah at a program organized in Saptari. Dev, who received significant praise upon joining the UML, has a communist background. He began his political journey with the UML's sister organization, the Democratic National Youth Association, and became a central committee member of the UML in 2054 BS.

However, Dev, dissatisfied with the UML over issues including citizenship, moved to the Nepali Congress via the then Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum Nepal after the Madhes movement. But he could not stay there either, leaving Congress again to return to the UML.

His re-entry into the UML after 17 years garnered much attention, but he did not remain there for even a year and a half. He announced his departure from the UML on Magh 19, 2082, and rejoined Congress 15 days later. After the Madhes movement, he joined the Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum Nepal. Following the split of the Forum in 2066 BS, he sided with Bijay Kumar Gachhadar, joining the Forum Loktantrik, where he became the General Secretary. He also served as a proportional representation Member of Parliament and a minister from this party.

When Gachhadar merged his party with the Congress in Ashoj 2074, Dev also moved along and became a member of the National Assembly. While serving as a National Assembly member, he rejoined the UML after 6 years.

He had returned to the UML after 17 years, accusing the Congress of factionalism and a lack of democracy. At that time, he had said, 'I was outside the UML for 17 years, and I feel regretful, but I learned many things while being outside. Now I pledge to move forward by unifying the UML.' Thanking Chairman KP Oli for organizing him within the UML, Dev had said, 'Make me a worker, not a leader.'

However, upon leaving the UML 15 days ago, he accused the party of 'not understanding the rebellion that occurred on Bhadra 23 in its true sense, and instead of correcting the party, viewing it as a foreign conspiracy, leading the party towards individualism and deification, and operating the party in an arbitrary and discriminatory manner.'

Dev stated that he joined the Congress by embracing the policies, ideological plans, proposals, and commitments passed by the Special General Convention.