KATHMANDU, Oct 18: The Nepali Congress (NC) has begun internal discussions to hold the party’s 15th General Convention in mid-December. The proposal comes amid mounting pressure on General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma for failing to present a concrete plan for the convention.
General Secretary Thapa presented a tentative schedule at the Work Execution Committee meeting on Friday, proposing to hold the convention from December 13 to 15. However, the committee has not yet approved the proposal, a leader present at the meeting said.
The leader also mentioned that questions have been raised in both the Central Committee and the Work Execution Committee about the lack of preparation for the convention. “Various options and dates were discussed, but no final decision has been made,” the leader said.
During Friday’s ongoing Central Committee meeting at the party’s central office in Sanepa, Lalitpur, Sudurpaschim Province, President Bir Bahadur Balayar questioned General Secretary Thapa about whether Party President Sher Bahadur Deuba had ever said that a regular general convention would not be held.
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Balayar asked, “Who prevented the general secretaries from holding the convention in December? Did Sher Bahadur Deuba stop it? Or did the Central Committee postpone the date? Who obstructed it?”
Expressing dissatisfaction over attempts to collect signatures from expired or soon-to-expire convention representatives to demand a special convention, he said, “You were the ones running the government when you were in power, and after that government fell, you were also the ones recognizing the current government. Then how can only Sher Bahadur be held responsible?”
Balayar also criticized the current government’s performance, claiming that the political environment is not free from fear and that the party is not yet ready to participate in elections.
Central Committee member Pradeep Paudel argued that if the party could move forward with generational change and transformation, it could secure a majority in the next election. Stating that the Gen Z protests should not be viewed with suspicion, he said the party should address legitimate demands raised by the youth, such as ending corruption, promoting good governance, ensuring economic development, and creating employment opportunities. Paudel also proposed that the party make an honest self-assessment of its weaknesses and ensure youth participation in leadership from the ward to the central level.
Citing that the federal, provincial, and local governments have become overly expensive, Paudel proposed reducing the size of the House of Representatives to 100 members, limiting the cabinet to a maximum of 15 ministers, cutting the size of provincial assemblies by 40 percent, and reducing the number of local levels to 400.
Paudel further argued that the party convention could still be held within December and that the NC should head into elections under new leadership.
However, Gandaki Province President Shukraraj Sharma proposed postponing the elections scheduled for March 5 to May, arguing that it would be difficult to hold elections in the hilly districts in March. “If we hold elections in late April, the government will also have time to ensure a secure and favorable environment for voting,” he said during the meeting.
Central Committee members Ramesh Rijal, Jip Chhiring Lama, Dilendra Prasad Badu, Arjun Prasad Joshi, Pushpa Bhusal, Pradeep Paudel, Dila Sangroula, Gopal Dahit, Sanjay Kumar Gautam, Man Bahadur Nepali, Gobinda Bahadur Shah, Mahindra Kumari Limbu, Chandramohan Yadav, Maikulal Balmiki, Saraswati Bajimaya, Mukta Kumari Yadav, Kantika Sejuwal, Dinesh Koirala, Sushila Thing, and Bharat Kumar Shah also shared their views during the meeting.
The meeting will continue on Saturday.
