Gagan Thapa Rules Out Adjusting 111 Central Committee Members, Updating Active Membership

Kathmandu. Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa has stated that he cannot fulfill two demands put forth by the faction opposing the establishment. Addressing the convention of the Nepali Congress's overseas chapter, the Public Relations Committee Japan, via virtual means, President Thapa said that he cannot accept the demands to adjust the 111 central committee members from the 14th General Convention into the current committee and not to update the active membership.

The faction led by former President Sher Bahadur Deuba and the group led by Dr. Shekhar Koirala have been demanding that the 111 central committee members be adjusted and that the updating of active membership should not be made mandatory.

"What the statute does not give, I cannot do even if I want to. Firstly, running the Nepali Congress with active membership not being updated goes against the provisions in the Nepali Congress statute itself, it is impractical, and it is also unpolitical," President Thapa said. "A new central committee has been formed through a special general convention. This is everyone's central committee. I will fulfill the responsibility of including as many colleagues as possible within the authority given to the President. However, the demand to bring all the remaining one hundred and some members from the previous central committee and merge them into this one is something that should not be asked for as the statute does not permit it."

President Thapa stated that to make the 15th General Convention inclusive for everyone, he is ready to discuss the dates of the General Convention and to form the Membership Scrutiny Committee, Election Committee, Discipline Committee, and General Convention Management Committee as desired by the opposing faction.