Leaders of the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) have taken to the virtual platforms to get to the party cadres ahead of the upcoming general pandemic due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The party has also decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of its founder BP Koirala on Wednesday by bringing NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, Senior Leader Ram Chandra Paudel, Vice-president Bimalendra Nidhi, and central members Pradip Giri and Narahari Acharya together through the virtual medium while celebrating BP's birthday for three days.
The Information, Communications and Publicity Department of NC headed by Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma has been working to make the party technology-friendly in recent times. It has been holding dialogue with not just the party leaders but also health experts, economists and staffers, and even leaders of rival parties, and broadcasting that live through the party's Facebook page up to five times in a week.
The department will provide a common platform for Deuba and Paudel whose relation has taken a nose-dive in recent times due to the unilateral appointment spree of Deuba at one Wednesday afternoon bringing them together through video conferencing platform Zoom.
Institutions affiliated to the party have also been holding virtual interactions of leaders and cadres in recent times. Leaders like Paudel, Nidhi, Gagan Thapa and Pradip Paudel address such programs.
The leaders are preparing for the general convention scheduled for February 2021 through such virtual interactions. "We are starting the campaign of using technology in information, communications and publicity of the party," Spokesperson Sharma said. "It will be started by making the modern transformation of the party's website public."
He added that a sub-committee has been formed to make the party technology-friendly. The party is also preparing to make its information network more effective. He stated that a sub-committee focused on social networking sites will also be formed to incorporate the public feelings expressed through these sites.
It has already formed a COVID-19 information coordination sub-committee headed by former chairman of the Nepal Medical Association (NMA) and member of the department Dr Anjani Kumar Jha.
The party has also decided to publish its mouth-piece Nepal Pukar in both print and digital versions.
Secretary of the department Dinesh Thapa Magar revealed that the party recently held a two-day discussion to make it technology-friendly. "It decided to keep record of the daily government works," he stated. "We have decided to collect the promises made through the election manifesto and public addresses, and all the works done violating the Constitution and public sentiment after forming the government, and move forward by factually dissecting the dreams sold by the communist government and the reality."
