Senior leader of Nepali Congress (NC) Ram Chandra Paudel has met party President Sher Bahadur Deuba and handed him a letter urging him to not take arbitrary decisions in the party.
The Paudel faction is peeved with Deuba saying he has been forming different departments and committees to influence the next general convention which is just seven months away.
Deuba nominated 479 cadres and leaders of different districts above 65 years to the senior politician assembly led by him on Wednesday.
"This is not a bickering for positions with the president. This is a policy battle," Paudel said after meeting Deuba. "We want internal democracy inside our own party."
The Paudel faction is also unhappy over Deuba announcing that Sunil Thapa, who joined NC quitting RPP, will be made joint general secretary without consulting anyone. "Anyone joining our party is welcome. But the central committee should take a decision before any post is given to any person. We, therefore, had to raise the issue of system and statute in the party," Paudel elaborated.
Paudel also demanded transparency in distribution and renewal of active membership in districts where integration into the federal model has already been completed. He also demanded convention of sister organizations pointing that they also send delegates to the party general convention.
Deuba, however, did not give any assurance to address the issues raised in the letter. The Paudel faction organized a press conference at the party office in Sanepa after that. "We put our position meeting the president. But he always says he will take everyone together but never does as suggested by us," Paudel revealed.
Paudel met Deuba as the per the decision of the meeting of his faction on Wednesday that gave him the responsibility of meeting and talking with the president.
Ram Sharan Mahat, Arjun Narsingh KC, Minendra Rijal, Chandra Bhandari and others had accompanied Paudel to meet Deuba. Vice-presidents Bimalendra Nidhi and Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, General Secretary Purna Bahadur Khadka, Deputy General Secretary Prakash Sharan Mahat and others from the Deuba faction were also present during the meeting.
Paudel urged Deuba to immediately stop the appointment spree during the meeting. "You have not given the names of persons to include in the departments from your side. First provide the names," a leader quoted Deuba as saying in response. "Don't shoot yourself in the foot."
Deuba has already appointed chiefs in 20 out of the 47 departments. Members are being nominated to those departments in recent days.
The Paudel faction has been refusing to give the names arguing that the departments that should have been formed within six months of general convention cannot be formed six months before the next general convention.
