KATHMANDU, May 25: Several leaders from the Maoist faction of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) have accused the party leadership of nominating central committee member on an ad hoc basis, undermining the party’s long-honored tradition of ensuring fair representation for women, Dalits, Madhesis, Muslims and other excluded communities.
In a memorandum to NCP Chairman Dahal on Thursday, some 40 erstwhile politburo members of the then CPN (Maoist Center) have expressed serious dissatisfaction over the former rebel party’s nominees to the CC. They claimed unjust treatment had been meted out to the party’s seniors, its committed cadres and representatives from underrepresented communities.
Their dissatisfaction is the latest indication of growing discontent among the lower rung cadres of the NCP, which was formed after the merger between the then UML and the CPN (Maoist Center).
There is equal dissatisfaction among the second rung leaders of the UML faction, who claim that the grand merger had provided “an unfair advantage” to a handful of leaders.
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The lower rungs of the erstwhile Maoist Center said the decision to form a bloated organization during the party merger to accommodate the various offshoots of the former rebel party was now causing problems in the selection of CC members. In a bid to appease the offshoots, Dahal had formed a jumbo central committee comprising around 4,000 members.
“This has created a problem when it cames to appointing 200 leaders,” said NCP’s Pampha Bhusal.
The party is facing a similar problem finalizing its appointees for the standing committee. Leaders said that around 20 more names have come forward even as the Maoist faction has a quota of just 10 that remains to be filled in the 41-member body.
Among the total 45 standing committee members, the former UML has finalized 26 names while 19 are yet to be selected from the then Maoist Center. However, the latter has not finalized any names except the members of the central secretariat including Puspa Kamal Dahal, Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Ram Bahadur Thapa.
Chairman Dahal is under pressure to pick the names from the former Maoist Center. Those close to the party leadership said Top Bahadur Raimajhi, Dev Gurung, Giriraj Mani Pokharel, Barsaman Pun, Haribol Gajurel, Shakti Basnet, Janardhan Sharma, Agni Sapkota and Matrika Yadav are certain to be included in the standing committee. Other aspirants include Lilamani Pokharel, Mani Thapa, Devendra Poudel, Chandra Prasad Khanal, Kul Prasad KC, Ram Karki, Lekhraj Bhatta, Tilak Pariyar and Ramchandra Jha.
