With this move by the Gachchhadar faction on the eve of the Central Committee meeting called by MPRF Chairman Upendra Yadav, the party can now be saved only one condition: Revocation by the rival faction led by the chairman of the decision to expel seven leaders, including Gachchhadar.
The NGO-turned party, the fourth largest in the Constituent Assembly (CA), has been facing an internal conflict over the last one month after the fall of the Maoist-led government on May 4. Initially, Yadav and Gachhadar were divided over joining the government led by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal. Gachchhadar wanted to support the Nepal-led government while Yadav opposed it. As a majority of CA members supported Gachchhadar, Yadav also came around to favoring joining the government.
The internal conflict reached a decisive phase last Thursday when Prime Minister Nepal appointed Gachchhadar deputy prime minister though the later´s name was not approved by his own party. Last Friday, Yadav expelled the seven leaders, including Gachchhadar, accusing them of going against the party´s decision. Since Friday, efforts were undertaken to save the party from a split but to no avail.
After filing the petition at the EC, Gachchhadar said he was compelled to move the Election Commission after the Yadav-faction turned down repeated offers over the last five days for reconciliation and unity in the party.
“The party is divided now due to Yadav´s unwise and unpolitical decision,” Gachchhadar said.
Gachchhadar said that the party can still remain intact if the action taken against the seven leaders is revoked.
But Yadav said withdrawal of the expulsion is very unlikely.
“They are no longer our party´s members and any move by them is not legal,” said Yadav, who is now in Birgunj for the CC meeting being held there on Wednesday, over the phone. CC members close to Gachchhdar said that they have not been invited to the CC meeting which is expected to endorse the action against the seven leaders.
A telephone interview of 32 CC members done by myrepublica.com on Monday had found 11 members supporting Gachchhadar. The faction was successful in garnering the support of neutral leaders Rajeshwari Jaiswal, Bharatendu Mallik and Dr Tilak Rawal. Besides that the faction has also impressed RC Yadav who was undecided as of Monday. Besides, another CC member Jibachhi Chaudhari, whom myrepublica.com could not reach on Monday, has also thrown her support behind Gachchhadar.
Gachchhadar is now short of just two members for a majority in the party´s 35-member Central Committee. “We are hopeful that we will have two more CC leaders in our camp,” said Gachchhadar after registering the petition at the Election Commission.
There are still two neutral CC members -- Ram Lal Sutihar and Ranju Barma. Similarly, Abdul Jabbar and Lalbabu Raut are yet to unveil whom they support.
According to Election Commission law, the faction with a majority of CC members behind it will have the party name, flag and election symbol.
Meanwhile, Gachchhadar also submitted the signatures of 29 CA members representing the MPRF to the Constituent Assembly, reinforcing his support to the government. MPRF has 53 members in the CA.
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