UML volunteers carry a huge metal structure toward its destination at the Butwal Mandap, the venue of the UML´s eighth national convention, Sunday.Tilak Pokharel
Ishwar Pokharel, the publicity department head of the party told journalists that all construction works for the convention are already over though some decoration-related tasks are due. The 6-day convention officially opens at 1pm Monday.
Nepali Congress (NC) President Girija Prasad Koirala has already arrived in the town to participate in the opening ceremony, while leaders of other parties invited as guests for the ceremony are arriving Monday. Koirala is staying at the house of a local NC leader.
A press statement issued by the party said altogether 40 guests from 14 countries are also going to participate in the opening ceremony. The guests are arriving from India, China, Bangladesh, Iraq, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Russia, Sweden and Spain.
Two UML cadres take pictures of statues of late communist leaders Pushpa Lal Shrestha, Madan Bhandari and Manamohan Adhikari on Sunday at the Butwal Mandap, the venue of the UML´s eighth national convention that is set to begin Monday.Tilak Pokharel
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CPN-UML is the second largest in the five-party ruling coalition.
More than 300 UML party volunteers have been working relentlessly, sometimes under the scorching sun and at other times amidst chilling cold, for over a week. About 20 women volunteers joined them last week. Earlier on Sunday, incumbent UML General Secretary Jhala Nath Khanal thanked the volunteers for their work. “When you work, you should keep in mind how this adds to the overall benefit of the party and the communist movement,” Khanal told the volunteers appreciating their work.
“We are ready to host the convention,” said the press statement. “All the management-related works have been completed successfully.” The volunteers, some of whom are carpenters and experts in the construction field, have already constructed a tented hall that can accommodate over 1800 people, besides establishing 20 other small tented halls (each with a capacity to accommodate 90 people) for group discussions. For the media, the UML volunteers have set up a media center with free wireless internet connection.The cultural wing of the party has also set up an art exhibition, with contributions from various artists like Kiran Manandhar, Gautam Ratna Tuladhar, Gopal Kala Premi and Y C Bhurtel, among others. The program venue that also has artificial ponds, statues, a permanent republic memorial and sand art, among others, is spread across 22-bigha (57,281 square meters) of land at Butwal Mandap.
The Butwal town too has been painted with red and hammer-and-sickle flags can be seen fluttering all across the town, which elected a UML candidate in the CA election (Bishnu Poudel) last year. “Now the decoration-related works are being carried out,” said the statement.
UML´s People´s Volunteers make a vow to do whatever they can for the success of the UML´s eighth national convention at a function organized at the Butwal Mandap, the venue of the convention, Sunday.Tilak Pokharel
In the morning on Monday, the head of the convention organizing committee, Bharat Mohan Adhikari, is going to light a “peace lamp” at the Lord Buddha’s birthplace at 7 a.m. The lamp will be brought to the convention venue, which is about 50 kilometers away, at 1 p.m. on foot for the inaugural ceremony.
Security in the town, right from the nearest airport in Bhairahawa, has been beefed up for the convention.
Incumbent CC’s last meeting
Leader Ishwar Pokharel told journalists that the incumbent Central Committee of the party will hold its last meeting at 8 p.m. Sunday. “The meeting will discuss (last-minute) the preparations for the opening ceremony and the closed-door sessions,” said Pokharel. He also said the journalists will be given limited access even to the closed-door sessions.
ALL SMILES: Top UML leaders (from left to right) General Secretary Jhala Nath Khanal, Madhav Kumar Nepal and Bharat Mohan Adhikari smile while chatting informally with journalists at a function organized at the Butwal Mandap, the venue of the UML´s eighth national convention, Sunday.Tilak Pokharel
The convention is going to elect about 100 members for the central committee. Though the party is all set to go for “multiple posts” system, it is yet not clear how the top office bearers – president, vice-president, general secretary and secretary – are going to be elected.
On the fray for the top post of president are former General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, incumbent General Secretary Jhala Nath Khanal and senior leader K P Sharma Oli. Though other top leaders are already here, Oli is yet to arrive as he is coming to the town by road. The ruling Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has been lobbying to not see Oli, a vocal critic of the Maoists, at the next UML president.
“UML’s internal affair is not a matter of concern for the Maoists,” said Pokharel. “So, outside lobbying, if any, does not count.”
tilak@myrepublica.com
