While party General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel, backed by the faction led by former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and KP Sharma Oli, tabled a proposal to amend the party statute with a view to clipping the party chairman´s wings, leaders loyal to Chairman Jhalanath Khanal have lobbied to broaden the chairman´s role. [break]
Addressing the inaugural session of the meeting, Khanal accused ´some leaders´ within his own party of plotting to weaken the role of chairman. The national-level meeting was organized by the party´s organization department, which is headed by the general secretary, with a view to receiving feedback from party rank and file prior to a meeting of the party national representatives´ council scheduled to start September 30.
Without naming leaders allegedly involved in such activities, Khanal urged party rank and file to shun such motives.
"The move to weaken Jhalanath may serve someone´s interest but it will not help the party as a system," Khanal said at the national conclave participated by party representatives from across the country. "Now, Jhalanath is in that position. In future, someone else will assume the same post. One should remember that."
He said the move to weaken the party chairman will benefit no one. "I am now 61 and we leaders are all getting older. Weakening the party chairman will harm others more than me," he said.
Party leader and former finance minister Surendra Pandey went one step further in defending Khanal. In his proposal circulated among party representatives, Pandey argued that the chairman, who is elected directly from party representatives at the general convention, should be given a bigger role.
"The party chairman should be mandated to nominate 20 percent of the central committee so that the elected party chief won´t be in a minority in the central body," Pandey said in his proposal.
He termed the general secretary´s move to hold the national conclave and amend the party statute as irrelevant and in contravention of the party statute.
"The party´s general convention had envisioned amendment of the statute only in the new context that will emerge after promulgation of the new constitution and adoption of a federal system. But given the present reality, the proposal for statute amendment is completely irrelevant and contravenes the party statute," a leader said quoting Pandey´s proposal.
Leaders close to the Nepal-Oli faction have accused the Khanal faction of not being ready to accept the spirit of collective leadership. "It seems they want to centralize all powers in the party chairman just as with the party general secretary prior to adopting collective leadership," said a leader from the rival faction.
According to one leader, the general secretary took the initiative to amend the statute after the party chairman frequently cancelled party meetings called by the former in consultation with the latter.
"The meeting of the national representatives´ council can amend the statute because the central committee had already endorsed this proposal and the party has formulated its regulations as per the same decision," maintained a leader from the Nepal-Oli faction.
Khanal and other leaders close to him smelt a rat in the general secretary´s decision to hold the conclave. The Khanal faction regards suspiciously the recent activities of Pokharel, who was close to the party chairman until a few months back, as the former now leans towards the Nepal-Oli faction.
"They are trying to press their flawed argument that the chairman is the political leader in the party while the general secretary is the organizational leader," said a leader close to Khanal, preferring anonymity. "Therefore, the chairman tried to dispel this false notion among party leaders gathered from across the country."
Admitting that the party was afflicted by various problems, the prime minister said these didn´t appear out of the blue. He urged party rank and file to refrain from factionalism, corruption and anarchy rampant in the party.
According to a leader, the participants were divided into nine clusters for group discussions. They will submit their reports and recommendations to the panel from their respective groups Sunday.
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