An informal meeting of the senior leaders held at NC central office, Sanepa, on Wednesday afternoon made a request to this effect. [break]
NC vice presidents Ram Chandra Poudel, Prakash Man Singh and Gopal Man Shrestha and general secretary Bimalendra Nidhi attended the meeting called by party´s acting president Sushil Koirala. NC central member Dr Ram Sharan Mahat had joined the meeting later.
Talking to mediapersons after the meeting, vice president Prakash Man Singh said they decided to ask president Koirala to correct his decision as the current fluid political situation requires strong cabinet members. “We have decided to ask the party president to send members in such a way that coalition partners could be confident about the ministers sent by the party,” he said.
Poudel had secured consent from party joint general secretary Arjun Narsingh KC over the decision of their informal meeting. Most of the NC central members are against president Koirala´s decision to send Sujata as the leader of the party in the government as foreign minister even as they had no reservation over sending her in the government as such.
Sources said acting president Koirala asked party´s senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba to join the meeting over the phone. Deuba, however, did not attend the meeting citing his personal works.
Party´s general secretary KB Gurung was unhappy with the group as his proposal to select the party´s ministerial representatives by the central working committee was turned down by the meeting. The CWC had earlier president Koirala to name ministers from the party.
Vice presidents Shrestha and Singh and general secretary Nidhi are considered close to Deuba who, incidentally, has supported Koirala´s proposal to send Sujata as party´s leader in the government.
Deuba is one of the contenders for the party president´s post in the upcoming general convention, which is likely to be held in three to four months´ time. GP Koirala is not likely to contest the election for the top post this time around.
After the informal meeting, acting president Koirala called GP Koirala´s personal secretary Shekhar Thapa to apprise the party president of their decision. Sushil Koirala and Poudel are leaving for Jumla and Kalikot on Thursday.
A delegation of leaders present in the meeting is scheduled to meet GP Koirala to express their reservation over his decision and request him to correct it on Thursday.
Delay in cabinet expansion likely
The differences in the Nepali Congress is likely to further delay cabinet expansion. NC had formed a three-member team comprising acting president Koirala, vice president Poudel and joint secretary Nidhi to talk to CPN-UML over portfolio sharing. But they could not hold the meeting today.
The three leaders were also supposed to meet GPK on Wednesday morning, but they did not, according to the sources. The cabinet expansion is likely to be delayed as two of the three members of the NC team -- Koirala and Poudel -- are going outside Kathmandu on Thursday.
koshraj@myrepublica.com
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