NC suspends party rules to appoint Gachchhadar as vice-president

Published On: November 7, 2018 10:02 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

Mahasamiti meeting postponed

KATHMANDU, Nov 7: Nepali Congress (NC) central working committee meeting on Tuesday suspended some rules of the party and decided to appoint Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar as vice president of the party.

Former deputy prime minister Gachchhadar had merged his party, Federal Socialist Forum Nepal-Democratic last year with the NC, just ahead of the parliamentary and provincial polls. CWC meeting of the NC decided to suspend some rule of the party statute after some of its provision barred the appointment.

“Party Mahasamiti meeting will give legitimacy to the decision. The party took decision respecting an understanding with Gachchhadar during the party merger,” said NC spokesman Biswa Prakash Sharma.

The-then NC CWC leader Gachchhadar quit the party in February 2008 to join Upendra Yadav’s Madhes-based party Madhesi People’s Rights Forum along with some party leaders when the Madhes movement was peaking. He later quit the party and formed his own Madhesi Poeple’s Rights Forum-Democratic and finally merged with the NC October last year.

Some leaders questioned Tuesday’s decision as breach of party statute because the statute has provisioned just one vice president in the party and also bars anyone who has not won the CWC election from becoming party office bearer.

NC senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel had suggested appointing Gachchhadar and adjusting other leaders from his faction in the party’s various committees.

However, leaders Prakash Man Singh and Arjun Narsingh KC speaking at the party’s meeting Tuesday opposed the decision to appoint Gachchhadar as vice-president saying it was a breach of party rules and procedures.

Gachchhadar was seen as a Deuba loyal in the party. He also joined the NC Democratic led by Deuba when the leader split the party in 2002, and became general secretary of the splinter faction.

Meanwhile, the NC postponed the Mahasamiti meeting to be held in Kathmandu to December 14-18 citing lack of preparations. The meeting was earlier scheduled for November 20-24. The meeting is expected to amend the party statute, according to spokesman Sharma.

Similarly, NC has formed a five-member taskforce under the leadership of party vice-president Bimalendra Nidhi to finalize a plan to adjust several party leaders in various party committees.