Nepali Congress Faces Deep Internal Crisis as Dr. Shekhar Koirala Pushes for Unity

Kathmandu. The internal conflict within the Nepali Congress has reached a breaking point following the special general convention held last Poush.

The Election Commission granted official recognition on Magh 2 to the special general convention held from Poush 27 to 30 by General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma, despite opposition from then-President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Dr. Shekhar Koirala's faction. A writ petition filed by the Deuba and Dr. Koirala groups challenging this decision remains pending in the Supreme Court.

The dispute has escalated to a level where the party appears unlikely to remain intact regardless of the Supreme Court's verdict. However, some leaders are striving to keep the party united. Dr. Shekhar Koirala, who had aligned with the Deuba group during the special convention, is now attempting to mediate between both factions.

On Tuesday, Dr. Koirala held a meeting with leaders of his faction at his secretariat in Bishalnagar to strategize on reconciliation. The meeting, which included former General Secretary Dr. Shashank Koirala, was attended by 16 central members, including three office-bearers from the outgoing working committee.

According to a participant, the meeting included outgoing Vice President Dhanraj Gurung and Joint General Secretaries Badri Pandey and Jeevan Pariyar, alongside Dr. Shekhar, Dr. Shashank, Dr. Minendra Rijal, Bal Bahadur KC, Deepak Giri, Dilendra Badu, Dr. Govinda Pokharel, Sarita Prasai, Rukmini Koirala, Dr. Chandra Mohan Yadav, Krishna Chandra Nepali, and Kiran Yadav.

He expressed objection, stating that after the special convention faction received official recognition from the Election Commission, they should have engaged in dialogue to unite the party instead of proceeding without communication.

Another leader present noted that Dr. Shekhar opened the meeting by stating he was prepared to endure any humiliation to keep the party united, regardless of the Supreme Court's ruling.

‘You are aware that I have been facing humiliation from colleagues within the party for not aligning with any specific group,’ the leader quoted Dr. Shekhar as saying. ‘I see that the party will not remain united regardless of which group the Supreme Court grants recognition to. Therefore, I am prepared to endure any insult and make sacrifices to keep the party together. I will stand on a middle path to work for unity, and I ask for your support.’

He criticized the leadership that emerged from the special convention for failing to initiate dialogue to reconcile the party after receiving official recognition.

‘Those holding the reins of the party should have taken the initiative to unite it, but that has not been seen,’ Dr. Shekhar said. ‘The group that filed the case in the Supreme Court also does not appear as flexible as it should be for party unity. I cannot watch the party split before my eyes; we must reconcile.’

During the four-hour meeting, Dr. Shekhar primarily sought suggestions from leaders on how to proceed to keep the party united.

Former General Secretary Dr. Shashank Koirala also emphasized the need to keep the party united and pledged his support for Dr. Shekhar's initiative.

The meeting assigned specific leaders to mediate for party unity. Dr. Minendra Rijal and Dr. Govinda Pokharel were tasked with negotiating with the old establishment (Deuba group), while outgoing Joint General Secretaries Jeevan Pariyar and Badri Pandey were assigned to negotiate with the group that became the establishment after the special convention.

Members urged Dr. Shekhar to maintain a centrist role to prevent the party from splitting, to which he affirmed that this was indeed his stance.

During the four-hour meeting, Dr. Shekhar primarily sought suggestions from leaders on how to proceed to keep the party united.

Leader Sarita Prasai confirmed the four-hour discussion on how to keep the party united. Speaking to Ratopati, she said, ‘We discussed how to make the party unified; this was an informal discussion. He (Dr. Shekhar) asked for suggestions on what needs to be done to keep the party together, and the leaders provided their input.’

Prasai stated that the party should head toward a general convention in a way that keeps it united.