Nepali Congress Factions Warn of Split Over Leadership Style
Kathmandu. Leaders of the Nepali Congress's establishment-opposed (former President Sher Bahadur Deuba and leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala) factions have warned that the party will head towards division if the unilateral working style of Gagan Thapa, who was elected president through a special general convention, is not corrected.
At a program organized on the occasion of the 44th memorial day of the party's founding leader Bishweshwor Prasad Koirala (BP), top leaders expressed collective dissatisfaction, stating that if President Thapa does not move forward by including all sides, the existence of Congress will be in crisis and ultimately the party will split.
At the program, former acting President Purna Bahadur Khadka said that the entire key to the party's future and unity lies in the hands of President Thapa. 'In the past, the Nepali Congress, which had split, did not unite unless Girijababu (Girija Prasad Koirala) wanted it to. Now, the party will not unite unless Gagan Thapa wants it to. I have told the President in a meeting—the responsibility of uniting the party or dividing it is in your hands. Today, you have to decide to unite, please understand that,' Khadka said.
Khadka said that the party cannot unite without connecting the structures of the regular 14th General Convention and the Special General Convention. 'Connect the regular general convention and the special general convention, Gagan ji, if you connect them, the Congress will unite. Guarantee that the 15th General Convention will be impartial and independent, and the Congress will unite,' Khadka said. 'We have asked you to connect the central committee, is it asking for positions when we ask to keep everyone together? We have already received all positions before, we do not need positions. We will strive for consensus until the last moment, but we cannot surrender by sacrificing respect, we are ready to die instead.'
Expressing concern over the increasing autocracy within the party, another leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala accused that although Congress itself was born to end autocracy, autocratic tendencies have started to be seen within the party itself. 'Autocracy is about to be born within the party now, we have to end it,' said Dr. Koirala. He expressed dissatisfaction with President Gagan Thapa's talk of social democracy at the special general convention.
He said that the ideal and principle of Congress is democratic socialism as propounded by BP, and asked, 'Has Congress abandoned this ideology?'
Leader Koirala also warned that if President Thapa does not take the initiative for party unity, he will have to take responsibility for the subsequent situation. 'If, by any chance, the President does not take the initiative, he will have to take full responsibility for it. Mr. President, remember BP's ideology, do not become individualistic,' he said.
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Former Vice-President Bimalendra Nidhi warned that if the grounds they have put forward for party unity are ignored, they will be forced to choose a new path. 'The agenda we have brought out for consensus must be made the basis of unity, nothing less than that,' Nidhi said. 'We have made very simple demands, but why the hesitation to reach a consensus?'
Nidhi stated that if the President does not want to fulfill these demands, they will understand that he does not want to keep the party united. 'If these demands and grounds are not accepted, he does not want to keep the party united and appears immature,' Nidhi said. Commenting that President Thapa lacks the foresight required for leadership, he warned that if a consensus is not reached even by the date of the national gathering they have announced, they will be forced to chart a new course. 'If a consensus is not reached even by the national gathering we have announced, we will be forced to chart a new course,' Nidhi said.
Leader Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat accused President Thapa, who came to leadership through the special general convention, of breaking the culture of collective decision-making in Congress and running the party unilaterally. 'Gagan Thapa, who came to leadership through the special general convention, is running the Nepali Congress alone. That is not the culture of Congress; it should be run collectively. We must move forward by integrating everyone's ideas through brainstorming,' said Dr. Mahat. He said that they are seeking broader unity in the party and for that, an environment must be created for the 15th General Convention to be impartial. 'It is necessary for the 15th General Convention to be impartial and for everyone to participate respectfully. For that, let's connect the 14th General Convention committee and the Special General Convention committee, or form a political mechanism by including both sides. Is it justifiable to say we will do it alone without doing that? If this does not happen, the physical body of Congress will remain there, but the soul will remain here,' he said.
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Former General Secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula also expressed anger that the leadership rejected even the small demands put forward for resolving the internal dispute within the party. 'We have only asked you to unite us, who were dissolved through a special general convention, why do you not want to fulfill that demand?' Sitaula questioned. He questioned why they do not want to unite the party at a time when democracy is in crisis, asking President Thapa, 'Democracy is in crisis, the country is in crisis, why do you not want to unite the party at such a time? The burning of our houses on August 24th was a minor issue, but the whole country burned. What is the state of the constitution now, where are the judiciary and constitutional bodies? Are they able to work impartially and independently? Is it Congress's responsibility to protect the original spirit of the constitution? Can the leadership that came through a special general convention alone protect it, leaving all of us behind?'
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Former Vice-President Bijay Kumar Gachhadar urged President Thapa to move forward by including the old and dissenting factions within the party. He said, 'My request to Gagan Thapa, who became president through a special general convention, is to unite everyone in the party and become the president of a strong Congress.'
Citing the example of the late President Krishna Prasad Bhattarai uniting the party even by drinking poison, he urged President Thapa to unite the party. 'When there were 36 and 74 groups within the party, the disputes in Congress were greater than this. Leaders united them at that time. Thapa ji, after becoming the official president through the court, are you trying to leave without uniting the old Congress, the new Congress, and the Congress that disagrees with you? Unite and move forward,' Gachhadar said. He suggested holding the 15th General Convention only after bringing the dissenting factions to a consensus.
Leader Mohan Bahadur Basnet warned of immediately starting parallel activities against the leadership's unilateral style. He said, 'We are not going to break the party, we are going to form another party. Leaders are not going to become sati with Gagan Thapa; we are going to build a strong party. The national gathering must be announced today. They say Gagan Thapa and others will focus on the ward convention from August 2nd, we will announce the national gathering and work in parallel up to the ward level to build a new strong party. To cross the river, one must not have weak legs, but strong ones. We must strengthen Congress and strengthen the democratic system of governance. We don't know when whose missile will land in Nepal, so we must be strong ourselves.'
Congress Far-Western Province President Bir Bahadur Balayar also said that they have now moved beyond the stage of compromise and waiting. 'We have stepped out of our doorstep, and our steps will not stop now. Let's see how many active members remain updated. We are still within the Lakshman Rekha, we have not crossed it. If you ignore us, our steps will not stop,' Balayar said.
Another leader Govinda Bhattarai said that party unity is also essential for the protection of the national system. He said, 'In the current situation, Congress needs to unite and move forward. While celebrating BP's memorial day, there should be reconciliation. If Congress does not unite, democracy will not remain, and the constitution will not remain.'
Bhattarai said that since Congress was the party that provided solutions and made decisions in favor of nationality during the time when the constitution was not drafted, when there was unrest in the country, and during the Maoist conflict, party unity is inevitable. Kundan Kafle also warned that if the unilateral decisions made by the leadership by violating rules and systems are not corrected, rebellion will start from the grassroots level, which will lead the party towards a serious accident. He made it clear that if the feelings of the youth and honest workers are not included in the party's decision-making process, the new generation will not delay in taking parallel steps.
The establishment-opposed faction's program on Wednesday announced the calling of a national gathering on August 14.
This specific news has been automatically translated by AI. As a result, there may be some inaccuracies or language errors.
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