KATHMANDU, Sep 27: Despite sharp criticism of the Chairman of the CPN (Maoist Centre) in their two-day-long Central Committee meeting, the supremo of the party, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, once again managed to ward off dissenting voices inside the party and establish himself as the most powerful person since the formation of the party in 1994.
The meeting, held at Nepal Academy Hall in Kamaladi, ended on Friday with a dramatic announcement to transform the Central Committee into a General Convention Organizing Committee led by Dahal himself.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Dahal declared, “I am no more the chairman of the party. I am a coordinator now.”
The new structure has converted existing office bearers into the secretariat of the organizing committee.
Chairman Dahal to respond to queries of central members during...
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Addressing the dissenting voices raised during the meeting, Dahal made it clear that he would still remain at the top of the hierarchy inside the party. “I will be active in responsibility, party, movement, and fighting for the nation until the last days of my life,” Dahal said.
The opposing voices, however, were palpable. Senior leaders Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Janardan Sharma proposed leadership change. They argued that the current leadership was incapable of taking the party forward, especially in the aftermath of the September 8 and 9 Gen Z protests.
Shrestha suggested Dahal resign from executive duties to make room for generational transfer. Similarly, Sharma called for the resignation of all current office bearers and the formation of a new directive committee.
Replying to these voices, Dahal said that the ‘timing was not appropriate for leadership transition’. The meeting held discussions in ten groups, with a majority of members siding with Dahal’s proposition of not letting his guard down. They called for leadership transfer through the upcoming convention.
Shrestha and Sharma’s proposals received only one-third support.
Senior leader Ram Karki declared the party ‘beyond repair,’ calling for complete dissolution and rebuilding from scratch. He criticized the leadership for wasting decades pursuing socialism within what he called a “bureaucratic-capitalist liberal system.”
Haribol Gajurel, another influential leader, urged the party to fully support the Gen Z movement, describing it as a genuine revolt against entrenched corruption and dynastic politics. Others warned of foreign manipulation and advised cautious engagement.
The meeting also decided to form a Property Investigation Commission that would investigate leaders, secretariats, and family holdings. This came amid mounting criticism over alleged lavish lifestyles of top leaders.
Central Committee member Laxman Pant formally questioned the legitimacy of Dahal’s alleged Rs. 6.4 million Rolex watch and his daughter Ganga Dahal’s Rs. 2.8 million Louis Vuitton handbag.
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