Despite efforts till late Monday by some NC leaders -- Arjun Narsingh KC, Narahari Acharya and Purna Bahadur Khaka -- to seek a middle way to resolve the deepening conflict in the party over dissolution of the sister organizations, both factions have refused to budge from their positions. [break]
"As of Monday, they have continued to stick to their positions but we will try to find a consensual solution to the problem," Central Committee member Narahari Acharya, one of the leaders trying to resolve matters, told Republica late Monday evening.
The party establishment and the Deuba faction have been engaged in a deepening feud after party General Secretary Prakash Man Singh on September 8 tabled a proposal in the ongoing Central Working Committee to dissolve the youth and women wings and two other sister organizations.
Registering the proposal, Singh had argued that there was a need to hold general conventions of the sister organizations immediately as the terms of the incumbent working committees had expired and they had become almost defunct. In addition, Singh had proposed to form ad hoc committees to hold the general conventions at the earliest.
But the Deuba faction took exception to the proposal to dissolve the sister organisations, thereby deepening the feud in the party. The sister organisations are headed by Deuba loyalists.
According to a central committee member close to party party President Sushil Koirala, the latter is adamant not to bow to the Deuba faction and is even ready to get the proposal endorsed through a vote if consensus is not possible.
"Koirala has now realized that the Deuba faction is hindering him time and again in the running of the party. So this time, he is hell bent not to compromise with Deuba and wants to decide the proposal through voting if the Deuba faction does not come around," the central committee member said.
Party General Secretary Singh had told journalists last week that Koirala wanted to decide the fate of the proposal through voting. But the meeting did not go to that extend as it was already late in the night that day.
But the Deuba faction has made up its mind to boycott the voting if the proposal is put to a vote.
"We will express our views at the central committee and then boycott the vote," said Bal Krishna Khand, who is close to Deuba, about the Deuba faction´s strategy if it comes to a vote. "Then we will lunch a nationwide campaign to disseminate our views," he added.
NC leader KC said they would continue to work for consensus on the issue. "We are trying to avoid a possible split in the party over the issue," he said.
In addition to the efforts of KC, Acharya and Khadka, youth leaders such as Gagan Thapa and Chandra Bhandari also tried to explore a middle way and suggested to the top leaders to discard their positions and seek alternatives.
Meanwhile, leaders close to the Tarun Dal and Nepal Women´s Association have started a fast-onto-death for and against the proposal, at party headquarters, Sanepa from Monday.
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