Prachanda Issues Stern Warning to Dissenting Leaders Within Nepal Communist Party

Kathmandu. Former Prime Minister and Coordinator of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', issued a significant warning on Wednesday to those creating unrest within the party, telling them to go their own way. Prachanda made these remarks during a program held at the central office in Parisdanda to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of the Nepal Communist Party.

'We have achieved unity. We have built a lot. We will not let anyone slip away, but those who stay here and create chaos might as well leave. They can go their own way. I have told my colleagues. Those who want to reform should stay with us. I have said that those who do not want to reform can leave,' was Prachanda's warning.

Prachanda's statement is being interpreted in political circles as a sign that the crisis within the party is deepening. Before the House of Representatives elections, the NCP was formed by merging 25 leftist factions, including the CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN (Unified Socialist). However, following unexpected election results, Prachanda called a meeting of the Central Coordination Committee on Chaitra 19 to review the election and determine the party's future program. Nevertheless, the meeting has failed to reach any decision even after 21 days.

Prachanda's warning: Those creating chaos in the party can go their own way

Young leaders expressed widespread dissatisfaction with the formation of the coordination committee on Chaitra 22. Members of the coordination committee themselves appear dissatisfied regarding seniority. Former Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Bhim Rawal, who had requested sixth seniority during the unity process, has not participated in the meetings after being placed according to alphabetical order. According to a leader, Rawal spoke for about 3-4 minutes on the first day of the meeting and then left. The leader stated that he has not participated in any meetings since then. It is understood that the dispute was not resolved even after Prachanda met with Rawal personally.

'It is not possible to say which leader Prachanda's statement was aimed at. Bhim Rawal was dissatisfied regarding seniority. He had requested sixth seniority. After his proposal was rejected, he has not come to the meeting,' the leader told Ratopati.

A leader mentioned that, in particular, leaders from the former Maoist and Unified Socialist factions also do not appear satisfied with the seniority. Most of the officials who came from the Unified Socialist were central members of the then CPN-UML's fifth and sixth general conventions.

On Chaitra 22, a 45-member coordination committee was formed. After coordinator Prachanda and co-coordinator Madhav Kumar Nepal, former Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal is in third place. Former Deputy Prime Ministers Bamdev Gautam and Narayan Kaji Shrestha are in fourth and fifth place. After Shrestha, names have been placed alphabetically. The central coordination committee was formed by integrating officials from the former parties.

However, leader Rajendra Prasad Shrestha insisted that Prachanda's statement was made in a general sense rather than being targeted at any specific leader within the party. Shrestha, who was the presenter of the program, clarified that Prachanda's statement might have been made in the context that no one within the party should express despair.

'No leader was seen expressing dissatisfaction against the leadership in the meeting. Discussions were held on how to take the party forward ideologically and theoretically. I do not think Prachanda gave a statement targeting any specific leader,' said Shrestha. 'No one will be punished in the party. Those whose ideas and principles align should stay. He might have meant that everyone has the right to leave the party if they feel like expressing despair or that the party is useless.'

Even six months after the party unity, the central secretariat and central working committee have not been formed according to the statute. A 2,499-member central committee has been formed by integrating all central committee members who joined the unity process. Work on the integration of mass organizations and fronts has not been completed. There is also disagreement among leaders on whether to make the current central committee a general convention organizing committee and go to the general convention, or to dissolve it and form another general convention organizing committee.

Coordination committee member Chakrapani Khanal 'Baldev' admitted that the decision-making process has been delayed because both these views have emerged. He stated that the meeting was postponed for some time as internal homework regarding the responsibilities of the leaders is ongoing.

'There is no situation for the central working committee to get full shape right now. The secretariat may be formed, and the work division of the leaders in the coordination committee may be done. The meeting can set the date for the general convention and take the proposal to the central committee meeting,' said Baldev.

He clarified that the meeting was postponed because the report presented at the meeting needs to be rewritten, mass organizations need to be integrated, and the work division of leaders needs to be managed.

Another leader insisted that there is no other person with the leadership capacity of Prachanda. The leader said, 'Everyone talks about leadership transfer, but not everyone can become Gagan-Bishwaprakash. Not everyone can become Madan Bhandari and Prachanda. In my experience, there is no other person within the NCP with leadership capacity like Prachanda. If Prachanda voluntarily gives up leadership and supports the new generation, the party might run; otherwise, the next generation is not ready.'

It is the understanding of that leader that leaders like Madhav Nepal, who served as General Secretary in the CPN-UML for nearly 15 years, Maoist Vice-Chairman Baburam Bhattarai, Mohan Baidya, leader Netra Bikram Chand 'Biplav', and even Janardan Sharma, who recently separated from the party, have not been able to build the party.

There are two different views among the young leaders of the NCP regarding party transformation and leadership transfer. After winning only 8 seats in the direct category and 811,000 votes in the proportional representation category despite merging 25 factions in the election, demands for leadership transfer, party transformation, and reorganization have risen rapidly within the NCP.

Young leaders have even launched a campaign demanding leadership transfer for party transformation and reorganization, taking moral responsibility for the election defeat. Former presidents of All Nepal National Free Students Union (Revolutionary) Lekhnath Neupane, Ranjit Tamang, and young leaders Yubaraj Chaulagain, Ramdeep Acharya, DP Dhakal, Ram Prasad Sapkota, and others have stood in favor of party transformation and generational transfer. They have emphasized that the older generation of leaders should remain as ideological authorities and transfer leadership to the youth. Tamang, who is running a campaign for leftist reorganization, emphasized the need to go to the general convention immediately.

'It is not that we are trying to remove the leaders currently at the leadership level in a disrespectful way. Respecting their contributions, remain as ideological and theoretical authorities. We have said that the leadership of the organization should be transferred. The party cannot run in the status quo anymore. We must go to the general convention immediately and select new leadership,' he said.

However, young leaders like Yubaraj Dulal, Bagmati Province coordinator Saral Sahayatri Poudel, Madhav Sapkota, and others have argued that there is no justification for transferring leadership without establishing clear rules and procedures. Coordinator Poudel argued that until the rules and procedures for running the party are established, there is no justification for party transformation and reorganization just by bringing in new leadership.

'Until the party establishes clear rules and procedures, nothing will happen by just talking about leadership transfer. I do not agree with the argument that leadership should be transferred immediately. We must go to the general convention for party transformation and leadership transfer. In a situation where a proposal has already come to hold the general convention within six months, there is no justification for saying that leadership should be transferred immediately,' said Poudel.