Central member of Nepali Congress (NC) Shekhar Koirala has said he will run for president in the next general convention.
"Everyone has a desire to climb up after joining politics," Koirala said in an interview to Setopati. "I am going to districts, meeting leaders and cadres. The cadres have taken me well until now."
The term of NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba expires in March 20 and Deuba seems set to exercise the option of extending his term by a year granted by the party statute.
He slammed NC President Deuba and senior leaders Ram Chandra Paudel and Krishna Sitaula for promoting factions inside the party and pledged that he will take along capable and young leaders. "I am not in any faction but that does not mean I will walk alone," he stated. "You may have noticed I took Gagan Thapa while going to Nepalgunj and Chandra Bhandari to Baglung."
He stressed that the party should promote young leaders and incorporate their opinions to inject energy and vigor inside the party. "I say clearly I am not young but I have energy like the youths. I have that fire in the belly," Koirala, who is now 68, claimed. "I am thinking about taking Gagan Thapa, Guru Ghimire, Pradip Paudel, Chandra Bhandari and others forward in the party."
He pointed that the party will become weaker if it does not bring young leadership. "New parties have been formed. How will new people join NC if the old leaders do not make way for the young ones? Should we not think about that?"
He claimed that the current factional politics seen in the main opposition party will end after the next general convention. "We cannot just do factional politics. The friends in districts are unhappy with central leaders. Communists are attacking them. The party cannot run in the old fashion. You just wait and see, groups and sub-groups will end in the next general convention."
Koirala, who reportedly did not contest for general secretary in the last general convention to make way for first cousin Shashank Koirala, seems determined to not repeat that in the next general convention.
"I am clear that legacy is not everything. Who the cadres like is also important. The cadres will see who works hard and who can fight with the communists and evaluate," he opined.
Shashank is son of founder of the party BP Koirala and Shekhar son of BP's brother.
"I am just a central member but Shashank is general secretary. The cadres will decide on the basis of our works," he stated claiming that he has been working harder than Shashank.
He revealed that he has not talked with Shashank about contesting for president as the general convention is still well over a year away but stressed he will stand for presidency even if Sahashank also runs for the post.
"Even siblings do contest elections. Did they not fight in Britain?" he referred to the race for Labor leadership in 2010 when Ed Miliband beat his charismatic elder brother David Miliband when asked what he will do if Shashank also decides to run for the position.
