Congress Divided on BP Koirala Memorial Day

Kathmandu. Nepali Congress founder and Nepal's first democratically elected Prime Minister Bishweshwor Prasad (BP) Koirala's memorial day is on Shrawan 6. He passed away on Shrawan 6, 2039, due to throat cancer.

King Mahendra of that time overthrew the democratically elected government led by BP on Poush 1, 2017, and implemented the non-party Panchayat system. After that, BP spent a long time in jail and exile in India. On Poush 16, 2033, he returned to the country with the 'policy of national unity and reconciliation' to protect the country's sovereignty and restore democracy, which is considered a historic step in Nepali politics.

On the memorial day of BP, who embraced the policy of reconciliation and desired national unity, the Congress is holding separate programs, drawing lines of division within the party.

Previously, on the day of BP's death, Shrawan 6, programs were organized by the party's sister organizations as per the Congress's decision. This time, however, two factions of the Congress have organized separate programs.

The conflict within the Congress has reached its peak after the special general convention, held amidst disagreement in the then central committee in the last week of Poush, elected a new leadership. If we go by the statements of Congress leaders, the activities and actions of the two factions have become like those of separate parties, and only the announcement of party division remains.

The establishment faction is organizing a program related to climate change on Shrawan 6 and a program announcing the party's new campaign on Shrawan 7, organized by the party's Policy Research and Training Academy. Party Vice-President and Academy Coordinator Bishwaprakash Sharma provided this information at a press conference at the party's central office in Sanepa on Monday.

Meanwhile, former President Sher Bahadur Deuba and leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala's group have jointly organized a memorial assembly on 'Dialogue, Consensus, and Unity – Today's Need' at Pragya Pratishthan on Wednesday. Dineshchandra Thapaliya, personal secretary of Dr. Koirala, informed that Dr. Koirala will also participate in the program initially announced only by the Deuba group.

Deuba group's meeting held on Friday had concluded that the possibility of consensus within the Congress had ended by 99 percent. Based on that conclusion, that faction has put forth a 5-point condition for unity with the establishment, but the establishment faction is not ready to accept those conditions.

After programs were organized in two places, leaders and cadres are worried whether the day to celebrate the memorial day of the founding leader will be depicted as a day when the party splits into two, contrary to BP's ideals.

During the press conference organized at the party's central office in Sanepa on Monday, Vice-President Sharma was asked by journalists about the two factions organizing programs on BP's memorial day.

In response, Vice-President Sharma said,