The ruling Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) has invited controversy by seeking property details of its office-bearers and central members.
The central office wrote to the leaders 10 days ago asking them to submit the details of cash, land and house, jewelries, bank balance, bonds and debentures, shares and other assets by mid-September.
Some leaders have taken exception to that stating that the details have been sought without forming the party's discipline commission. Former office-bearers of the commission have also called it against the party's statute.
"The discipline commission can be formed only after the standing committee addresses the lack of clarity in the party's statute regarding formation of the commission," chairman of the then discipline commission of CPN-UML Amrit Kumar Bohara told Setopati. "Only the discipline commission has the powers to seek property details."
If any other body apart from the commission has sought the details it is against the statute.
The party forms a separate commission as a person's privacy is associated with the property details.
"The discipline commission is not accountable toward the central committee. It is an autonomous body and is accountable only to the party's general convention. If the central committee has written about property details, that is wrong and against the party's statute," Bohara elaborated.
He argued that the party should have formed the discipline commission before expiry of the 60-day deadline given by the act related to political parties to submit the property details of office-bearers and central members after registration of the party or completion of general convention. He added that property details cannot be sought by other bodies apart from the commission now that the 60-day deadline has already expired.
CPN, formed after unification of the then UML and CPN (Maoist Center) on May 17, currently has 440-strong central committee. The 60-day deadline expired on July 17 but the party has yet to form the commission.
Bohara headed the discipline commission of erstwhile UML and Amik Sherchan of Maoist Center before unification. The commissions of the two parties have yet to be merged. "The party must take responsibility for any misuse of the property details sought when the commission has not been formed," Bohara stated.
The circular issued by the central committee does not seem to have reached all the central leaders. Standing committee member and Labor Minister Gokarna Bista said he has yet to receive the circular. Central member Dina Nath Sharma, on the other hand, said he has already submitted the details.
Sharma called seeking of the details a routine procedure as the party seeks property details within a year as per the statute.
Central member Bishnu Rizal said the details have been sought as per the act related to political parties. He said the act related to political parties is attracted now even as the party has provision of a separate body for seeking property details. "Some members may not have received the circular yet as there are a huge number of central members," Rizal.
