Nepali Congress Factions Reject Seven-Point Proposal

Kathmandu. The establishment's seven-point proposal sent to resolve the dispute that arose after the special general convention in the Nepali Congress has been rejected by former president Sher Bahadur Deuba and leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala's group. The seven-point proposal sent by Vice President Bishwaprakash Sharma on Jestha 16 has been made public on Sunday after the other group's leaders did not respond. For internal consensus, Vice President Sharma from the establishment had sent it to former acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka, leader Dr. Koirala, Bimalendra Nidhi, Dr. Shashank Koirala, Prakashman Singh, and Krishna Prasad Sitaula. Sharma had informed that he had sent the seven-point proposal to these leaders on Jestha 26. After that, leader Dr. Koirala stated through his secretariat that he had not received the seven-point proposal.

Meanwhile, Deuba group leader and spokesperson of the Congress's former working committee, Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat, speaking to journalists at his residence in Basbari on the morning of Jestha 28, said that a seven-point proposal had come from the establishment for internal consensus, but the proposal was not complete.

Establishment has not sent any proposal for consensus: Dr. Shekhar Koirala

Seven-point blueprint has come from the establishment side, it is not enough: Deuba group

What are the disagreements in the seven-point proposal of the Deuba and Shekhar group?

The Deuba and Shekhar groups did not respond after being dissatisfied with the seven-point consensus proposal sent by Vice President Sharma from the establishment. In Sharma's proposal, the Deuba and Shekhar groups have not agreed on the issues of the general convention organizing committee, mandatory update of active membership, and forming a general convention organizing committee by bringing both groups together under the central committee formed by the special general convention.

This is the 7-point proposal sent by the Congress establishment to the other groups

Update of Active Membership

In point number 2 of the seven-point proposal sent by Sharma on Jestha 16 with the title 'Let's all move forward together', it was mentioned 'to complete the process of updating active membership, the first phase of general convention preparation, within the stipulated time'. Clarifying further, the party had written in the same point 'to move forward by clarifying the ambiguities in the provisions related to this that have existed in the party's bylaws since the past'. The Deuba and Shekhar groups are not satisfied with this.

Dr. Koirala had made public 5 proposals for party unity on Jestha 11.

Dr. Shekhar Koirala has put forward 5 proposals to maintain party unity

In point number 1 of that proposal, it is mentioned 'not to make the update of active membership mandatory for the 15th general convention'. In the second point, he has written 'to hold the 15th general convention on the basis of active memberships renewed and distributed after the 14th general convention'.

On the other hand, the Deuba group has also opposed the act of making the update of active membership mandatory. Former acting president Khadka, in a statement on social media Facebook on Jestha 24, stated that no one can be deprived of participating in the 15th general convention on the pretext of not updating those who have renewed and taken new active memberships. Khadka wrote, 'The way friends from all over the country have been informing me for 4-5 days about the pressures given in the name of updating for the 15th general convention for those who have renewed and taken new active memberships, this trend is extremely fatal for party life, I want to draw the serious attention of the concerned parties.' He further stated, 'No one can deprive or cause anyone to be deprived of participating in the 15th general convention on the pretext of not updating the friends who have renewed and taken new active memberships for the 15th general convention.'

General Convention Organizing Committee

Another controversial and unresolved issue is the formation of a general convention organizing committee by bringing together the central committee selected from the special general convention and the central committee elected from the 14th general convention. Vice President Sharma has mentioned in point number 6 of the seven-point proposal 'to form a 15th general convention management committee under the central committee'.

In point number 4 of the same proposal, Sharma has written 'to provide a respectable responsibility to some senior leaders among those who have contributed to the party for a long time, within a certain number in the central committee, and to have a respectable participation in the working committee'.

However, the Deuba and Shekhar groups are saying that an organizing committee should be formed by merging the committee selected from the special general convention and the central committee elected from the 14th general convention. Dr. Koirala has written in his five-point proposal 'to adjust the central working committee of the 14th general convention and the central working committee of the special general convention to make them one'. Koirala has written in his proposal 'to form the working committee with a majority of the president'.

Deuba group leader Dr. Mahat says that their bottom line is to form a general convention organizing committee by merging the central committee elected from the 14th general convention and the central committee selected from the special general convention. 'They have said they will make some senior leaders and include some in the central committee. That is not acceptable to us,' Dr. Mahat told Ratopati. 'Our stance remains that we will form the general convention organizing committee by merging the committee elected from the 14th general convention and the committee that came from the special general convention.'

Dr. Mahat said that the issue of forming a general convention organizing committee under the central committee from the special general convention is not acceptable. The Deuba and Shekhar groups have proposed to manage this by overcoming obstacles as it is not in the bylaws and to get it passed by the general convention.

Rejection of Senior Leader Proposal

The establishment has also rejected the proposal to make former acting president Khadka and leader Dr. Koirala senior leaders. They have stated that they are not seeking positions but that the environment should be created for the 15th general convention to be held in a clean, fair, and fraud-free environment. In point number 3 of Vice President Sharma's seven-point proposal, it is mentioned 'to establish some senior leaders among the elders who have contributed to the party for a long time in a respected role as senior leaders in the central committee'.

Leaders say that this proposal was made by General Secretary Pradip Paudel to Koirala and Khadka on Jestha 22. Apart from this, the Deuba and Shekhar groups agree on forming the election committee, active investigation committee, disciplinary committee, and statute amendment committee by mutual agreement, and that the establishment leadership formed after the special general convention will be in charge. However, they say that there should be respectable representation.