KATHMANDU, JULY 14: President of the Nepali Congress (NC) Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that he will amend the party statute and contest for leadership again, if necessary. Deuba said this while the Shekhar Koirala faction of the party criticized Deuba for not being able to run the party according to the rules and regulations. The NC statute prohibits the president from serving more than two consecutive terms.
Deuba, who is preparing to coordinate with parties including the Maoist Center and CPN (United Socialists) in the provincial and House of Representatives elections, has become enraged by the criticism of the Koirala faction. Deuba has said that he is ready to hand over the leadership to a qualified and capable person after bringing the Congress back to its former state. "Even the statute does not allow me to do so. I am saying that I will not give my candidacy for president again," said a leader who was present at the Central Committee meeting on Wednesday, quoting Deuba, “I want to make a good party and leave the leadership to a worthy leader. But if you continue to do so, I can become the president again by amending the party statute.”
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NC Central Member Sanjay Kumar Gautam, who had expressed his views before NC President Deuba, was of the opinion that although the election was won by forming alliances in the local level elections, the principles and ideals of the party lost. Gautam is a central member close to the Koirala faction. He criticized NC President Deuba for ignoring Koirala, who led 40 percent of the votes within the party, and not even giving him a working room in the party office.
Another central member of the party, Ram Sharan Mahat also expressed the opinion that apart from strengthening the party's organizational situation, there should be electoral coordination only where necessary. In the meeting, central member Prakash Man Singh, NP Saud and others expressed the view that the work of the government should be made more effective. They said that the practice of taking suggestions from different levels but not implementing them is increasing, and they said that the work of the government should be focused on public interest. Central member Gyanendra Bahadur Karki claimed that after the government was formed under the leadership of Deuba, the work was done in the public interest and the party members should be proud of it.
Two general secretaries criticized
In the meeting of the Congress Central Committee on Wednesday, the members sharply criticized the two general secretaries of the party, Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma. The party members accused them of speaking only for media consumption and not being serious about strengthening the organization even after becoming the party's general secretaries. Central member Keshav Kumar Budhathoki expressed his dissatisfaction saying that the general secretaries were holding the meetings of party factions in hotels. Budhathoki warned the general secretaries saying that they might be boycotted from the districts in the days to come. Budhathoki said that the party organization in Jhapa had weakened when General Secretary Sharma changed the candidate in the local level elections, and challenged him to come back after winning the House of Representatives election, a member of the meeting said.
In the meeting, Ramesh Rijal, Rajiv Dhungana, and Ramjanam Chaudhary accused the general secretaries who were supposed to bring out the party's official opinion, of rejoicing in the stunts of media and social media. Rijal urged the general secretaries not to indulge in extremism, saying that they were media-centric. The members criticized the general secretaries for not only giving opinions without consultations in the party but also the fact that they had gone to the Election Commission.
