Khanal objects to party’s new hierarchy

Published On: May 22, 2018 07:31 AM NPT By: Republica  | @RepublicaNepal


NCP’s first central secretariat meeting forms task forces to complete remaining unification work

KATHMANDU, May 22: Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leader Jhala Nath Khanal on Monday took exception to his demotion in the party hierarchy and demanded that he should be reinstated to his former position.

Leaders close to him said that Khanal had objected to the party’s new hierarchy and demanded its revision during NCP’s central secretariat meeting held at prime minister’s residence in Baluwatar.
Khanal, who ranked second in the party hierarchy in the erstwhile CPN-UML, was placed in the fourth position behind two chairmen – KP Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal – and Madhav Kumar Nepal in the new hierarchy designed after the party’s merger with the erstwhile CPN (Maoist Center).
Khanal’s formal objection comes a day after he publicly announced that he would not accept the party’s decision.

Khanal, who was in China at the time of unification, was ‘not consulted’ before reworking the party hierarchy.

Though Khanal is the only leader to voice objection over the new hierarchy, there is growing discontent among second-rung leaders who claim that the merger had given unfair advantage to a few leaders.

With the merger, a handful of leaders from erstwhile UML and Maoist Center have further consolidated their positions in the party, leaving their competitors far behind.

In erstwhile UML camp, there is particularly big resentment over promotion of Bishnu Paudel to the post of general secretary. Paudel, who was formerly UML’s vice general secretary and ranked ninth in the party hierarchy, was inducted in the nine-member central secretariat or headquarters, over five of his seniors including Vice-chair Bhim Rawal.

Paudel’s rise makes him the most likely contender to lead the party in the long run.
Monday’s central secretariat meeting, which was the first meeting to take place since the merger, finished the remaining works of the merger including integration of organization between the two parties.

NCP spokesman Narayankaji Shrestha said that the meeting also gave full shape to the 441-member central committee. He said that the party would soon publish its political document and the statute outlining the ideological, theoretical and political line.

Shrestha said that the meeting formed various task forces to begin work for integration of parties’ lower bodies, sister wings and overseas units.

A four-member task force comprising Secretary Bishnu Paudel, Dev Gurung, Beduram Bhusal and Khimlal Devkota has been formed to draft a guideline based on the statute to take forward the process for merger of the organizations. A four-member taskforce from parties’ each provincial chapters, sister wings and overseas units have been directed to submit a report outlining modality of the merger within the next 15 days.

Shrestha said that the two chairmen have been asked to determine how to run the two central offices of the two parties.


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