NC rival factions bury hatchet after month-long disputes

Published On: January 25, 2020 07:58 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, Jan 25: Nearly a month-long disputes within the main opposition Nepali Congress(NC) have finally come to an end on Friday. The disputes had surfaced after the party President Sher Bahadur Deuba unilaterally decided to defer the 13th general convention by a year and increase the number of the party’s central departments.

A meeting of top leaders of the NC held at the residence of President Sher Bahadur Deuba at Budhanilakantha on Friday agreed to move the party ahead in a unified manner after forging consensus on all the disputed issues.

Senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel, Vice President Bimalendra Nidhi, general secretaries duo Shashank Koirala and Purna Bahadur Khadka and central working committee members Prakash Man Singh, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Ramesh Lekhak and Minendra Rijal were present at the meeting.

The meeting has decided to uphold the decision of the CWC meeting boycotted by the rival faction on December 28 during which the establishment faction had decided to hold the 13th general convention from February 19 to 22 in 2021 in Kathmandu. However, the two sides have agreed to bring some changes in the calendar of events of the general convention.

A CWC meeting of the party scheduled for Sunday will make necessary changes in the calendar of events of the general convention. “The disputes seen within the party in the recent days have come to an end. The party will now move ahead in a unified manner,” said NC Vice President Nidhi.

During Friday’s meeting that lasted for about seven hours, leaders also decided to form a committee under the leadership of Narahari Acharya to investigate the alleged irregularities in the distribution of active membership of the party. The committee will have three representatives each from the establishment faction and Paudel faction and one representative from Sitaula faction.

Although the leaders are yet to reach an agreement on the earlier decision of the Deuba faction to increase the number of central departments, the two sides have agreed to settle the issues through discussions.