On Friday, MPRF expelled seven leaders, including Gachchhadar, from the party and announced withdrawal of its support from the new government led by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.
The expelled leaders have been accused of working against the party and Madhes besides sowing the seeds of a split in the party. By working against the party MPRF Chairman Upendra Yadav meant joining the government without the official approval of the party, a reference to Gachchhedar joining the government through a decision of the parliamentary party.
The expelled leaders include Sarat Singh Bhandari, Jitendra Dev, Ramsaroop Raya, Ramjanam Chaudhari, Upendra Jha and Ratneswor Lal Goit. Among them six are members of the party´s 10-member political committee, which is equivalent to the politburo in a communist party.
“The appointment is unconstitutional as Article 38 of the Interim Constitution says that one can be appointed to the cabinet only on the basis of a political party,” said Yadav at a press conference on Friday afternoon.
But Gachchhadar said, “The decision to appoint him to the cabinet was based on the recommendation of the party´s political committee. This is a political issue [more than a constitutional one].”
Gachchhadar also questioned the action taken against them. “The Central Working Committee´s meeting was not called on Friday.” This is contrary to what Yadav had told to the press conference. He had said that the action was decided by an emergency meeting of the Central Working Committee Friday morning.
At the press conference, Yadav accused the Nepali Congress (NC), Communist Party of Nepal (Marxists-Leninists), Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party and Sadbhawana Party (Mahato) of providing a cabinet berth to split the NGO-turned-political party. “They want a split in MPRF to regain their lost position in the Tarai,” Yadav said, “MPRF has decided to withdraw its support from the government from Friday.”
NC and UML had performed dismally while MPRF won a landslide in the Tarai during the Constituent Assembly election in April 2006.
Gachchhadar, however, dismissed the allegation that he was trying to break away from the party, with support from NC and UML. “I want to keep the party intact. For that the party leadership should withdraw its action against the seven leaders.”
But Yadav put forth a condition for reconciliation. “Gachchhadar must first resign and create a trustworthy situation if they want the action withdrawn.”
“If the party leadership does not withdraw the action, it will invite an unfortunate situation in the party,” Gachchhadar warned.
Yadav also warned of disciplinary action against Constituent Assembly members supporting Gachchhadar if they do not return to the party´s establishment fold.
He claimed he enjoys the support of 28 out of 53 Constituent Assembly members. He accused the Gachchhadar faction of making CA members hostage at Bhaisepati and Satdobato, Lalitpur, a charge refuted by the Gachchhadar camp.
Yadav was clear about his party´s future course of action. “Our party will remain in the opposition and play the role of a responsible opposition.”
He said that his party is writing to the Speaker to arrange for opposition seats at the Constituent Assembly in a day or two. “If the Speaker refuses, we will surround the rostrum and not let parliament function,” Yadav said.
He indirectly regretted letting Gachchhadar and others, who were previously in the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, join the MPRF. “They were rejected and expelled from the CPN-UML and Nepali Congress.”
Yadav announced a Madhes banda for Monday to protest what he said was a conspiracy against his party and Madhes. “This is just an announcement of war.”
Asked whether his party would forge a new alliance with the Maoists as an alternative to the government, he said, “The party now prefers a movement for rights to a power game.”
He said that his party would play a constructive role to lead the peace process and the constitution drafting process to a logical end.
Jitendra Dev, a key leader in the Gachchhadar´s faction, claimed that the signatures of lawmakers Hari Narayan Yadav, Madhusudan Agrawal, Ram Bachan Yadav, Om Prakash Yadav, Tilak Rawal, Sandhya Dev and Asha Kumari Sardar might be fake.
When myrepublica.com contacted them, they said that they readily signed in favor of the central committee and the chairman.
Madhusudan Agrawal, Hari Narayan Yadav, Raj Lal Yadav and Sandhya Devi said that they were openly in favor of the party´s central committee and they thought the stance taken by the chairman was right.
Dr Rawal, who described himself as neutral in the dispute, said that though he initially supported Gachchhadar´s idea of joining the alliance led by NC and UML, he later could not support the leader´s stance to the extent of challenging the party central committee´s authority.
"I had initially supported Gachchhadar but that was not to ignore or belittle the importance and supremacy of the party´s central committee," he told myrepublica.com.
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