During the first extended meeting of the party that began Friday at Khanna Garment in Laliptur, Chairman Dahal proposed demoting all office-bearers elected by the party´s general convention in Hetauda, except the chairman, to party central members in order to settle the hierarchy row.
"The chairman has presented a proposal to go for centralized leadership for the time being and election-centric division of work among party leaders," party central member Devendra Poudel told Republica. [break]
"The chairman has proposed holding a special organizational convention after the Constituent Assembly election."
According to Poudel, deliberations on the proposal will start Saturday afternoon after 16 various groups comprising members of state committees and other similar committees of the party hold internal discussions in the morning.
Should the extended meeting endorse Dahal´s proposal, Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Secretary Post Bahadur Bogati, who were duly elected by the general convention, would be automatically demoted to party central members. Likewise, the party´s organizational structures such as standing committees and politburo committees will also cease to exist once the proposal is endorsed.
In the wake of Vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai unexpectedly announcing the ´sacrifice´ of his post, Dahal has called the extended meeting barely six month after the party held its general convention in Hetauda. Bhattarai has maintained that all office bearers except Chairman Dahal should step down from their posts till the CA election is held.
The former rebel party adopted collective leadership three years after it decided to join the mainstream competitive multi-party democratic system, renouncing the ´people´s war´ that was launched in 1996 to overthrow the establishment and set up a communist republic in Nepal. But amid growing differences over hierarchy among the leadership of the party´s sister organizations, the Maoists are now all set to go back to a centralized leadership system.
Though another vice-chairman, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, and Secretary Post Bahadur Bogati initially stood against Bhattarai´s demand, they have eventually given up their stance. Party insiders say Dahal brought the proposal on demoting all office bearers except the chairman to central members, as per a gentleman´s understanding with Bhattarai.
Narayan Kaji Shrestha had initially protested the proposal, questioning the proposed downgrading of office-bearers who were propely elected by the general convention. The proposal has come up now as Shrestha has also accepted it," said another CC member, Ram Kumar Sharma.
Sources said Dahal made the proposal at the party´s extended meeting after reaching an understanding with party office bearers, former standing committee members and the party´s bureau and state committee coordinators.
With Dahal´s proposal, the UCPN (Maoist) will have a total 113 members including 98 elected directly by the party´s general convention and the remaining from among those joining the Maoists from various other political parties. In the proposal, Dahal has also asked the extended meeting to reject the decision by Bhattarai to ´sacrifice´ his post of vice-chairman.
CPN-Maoist can´t ´run away´ from polls: Dahal
UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Dahal has said that the CPN-Maoist, which has remained opposed to CA elections, can´t ´run away´ from the polls scheduled for November 19.
Addressing the inaugural session of the party´s extended meeting at Khanna Garment, Dahal said since thousands of combatants lost their lives during the insurgency in the cause of the CA, no one including the Baidya-led Maoists can escape elections.
He also expressed confidence that Baidya would eventually join the fresh CA poll process.
Dahal´s remarks came shortly after he held a meeting in his capacity as coordinator of the High Level Political Committee (HLPC) with CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidya earlier in the morning to woo his party into elections.
Addressing the function, Dahal also said that the relevance of the 12-point peace accord, which paved the way for the Maoist party to come into mainstream politics, had not ended yet. "There is need for a new understanding from a new level among those who were parties to the 12-point pact," said Dahal.
Party senior leaders including Baburam Bhattarai and Narayan Kaji Shrestha also addressed the inaugural session of the extended meeting being participated by over 500 leaders from across the country.
Related story
DPMs hierarchy row stalls cabinet meetings
