District presidents of Nepali Congress (NC) have met President Sher Bahadur Deuba and submitted five-point recommendation to him.
They reached Deuba's residence in Budhanilkantha on his invitation on Thursday and drew his attention saying the party should run in accordance to the statute.
President of NC in Nuwakot Jagadishwor Narsingh KC told Setopati that the district presidents urged Deuba to correct the central committee decision that suspended the statute prepared by the Mahasamiti meeting.
"We demanded that all the general convention representatives should be elected from the ward level, and an individual should get an opportunity in proportional/reservation quota only once," KC added.
The district presidents had kept the demand even during the Mahasamiti meeting last year but the party prepared the statute with a provision that automatically made central committee members general convention representatives.
The district presidents have reiterated their demand this time as well.
Pointing that general conventions in the past have been announced by the full central committee, they have demanded the unilateral decision taken on majority to bring schedule for the general convention be corrected to end the dispute.
They also argued that appointment in party departments are against code of conduct when general convention has already been announced. They have demanded formation of a special committee to probe distribution of active membership for fairness in the general convention. They also advised the party president to hand over party responsibilities on the basis of competence and qualification, and not factions.
Deuba assured that he wants to move forward by taking everyone together after receiving the recommendations but he did not make any commitment about correcting the central committee decision taken on December 27.
Deuba had invited 45 district presidents currently in Kathmandu on invitation of senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel to rally against him at his residence in Budhanilkantha.
The three-day meeting of district presidents ended Wednesday afternoon.
There is dispute inside the party after NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba unilaterally gave himself a one-year term extension and announced date for the next general convention.
Deuba, whose four-year term expires in March 2020, got his term extended through the central committee meeting on December 27 using the extension provision of the party statute. His term will now expire on March 3, 2021. The meeting also decided to hold the next general convention from February 19-22, 2021.
The meeting extended the term of Nepal Tarun Dal led by Jeet Jung Basnet by six months. It also increased the number of departments to 47 from 28 and suspended clause 14 related to party membership effective only until the general convention.
The major bone of contention is dispute in the party after the central committee suspended the clause that allowed active membership only a year after receiving general membership, and ruled that the central committee can grant active membership at any time it deems appropriate.
The factions of Paudel and Sitaula believe that the clause has been suspended to ensure that Deuba faction emerge victorious in the general convention as only active members can participate in party elections.
The factions of Paudel and Krishna Sitaula are seething after Deuba refused to implement the statute prepared by the Mahasamiti meeting a year back by suspending its clause on the basis of majority.
The district presidents have opposed suspension of the statute prepared by Mahasamiti.
The factions of Paudel and Krishna Sitaula have boycotted all meetings after Deuba presented proposals including increasing the number of party departments to 51 from 28, and completing Nepal Tarun Dal, Nepal Students Union among others to the central committee meeting for discussion on December 12.
Central members of the Paudel faction were holding a separate meeting at the residence of former general secretary Prakash Man Singh in Chaksibari when Deuba was taking decisions through the central committee meeting at the party office in Sanepa on December 27.
