Senior Leader of Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) Ashok Rai has stated that the three top leaders should take responsibility for the internal dispute in the party.
JSP is on verge of yet another split due to differences between Chairman Upenda Yadav and Federal Council Chairman Baburam Bhattarai with the latter starting efforts to unchair Yadav.
JSP, formed after unification of the then Federal Socialist Party and Rastriya Janata Party (RJP), has already suffered a split after most of those coming from RJP left the party to register Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP).
The Bhattarai faction is actively trying to unseat Yadav accusing him of running the party unilaterally but Rai has conceded that all three top leaders including himself, Yadav and Bhattarai should take responsibility for the dispute.
“Talking about the context of Yadav running the party unilaterally, a three-member headquarter has been formed. Bhattarai, Yadav and myself are equally responsible if we say that headquarter didn’t work. Let us three hand over leadership to the new generation if it is so,” Rai has argued in a video interview with Setopati. “The headquarter has to work when the central executive committee does not meet. The headquarter meeting has not been convened. No one can get away saying Yadav acted arbitrarily.”
He has revealed that Yadav does not seem ready to make another chairman in accordance to the party statute while Bhattarai is not ready to adopt the policy of one person one post.
“Yadav has not been ready to make another chairman. We are currently in an under-construction party. We must opt for agreement if all the provisions of statute are not implemented in such state,” he reasons. “There will be split in party if we talk about majority and minority. Implementing the statute to the letter means adopting the policy of one person one post but Bhattarai and others do not agree.”
He has stressed that leaders have to work together on hundreds of issues even if they differ on one and added that forgetting 99 issues due to one is unfortunate. He has claimed that he believes that the party should be united for the people’s movement and is trying to create an environment for unity.
“There is 50-50 chance of the efforts succeeding. We may succeed or fail but should keep on trying,” he adds. “What has been reported in the media is more than the actual disputes in our party. There are debates and clashes between leaders. The disputes do not escalate toward split if that is tackled in a systematic manner.”
He has stressed that the ruling coalition will ally even in the upcoming elections and ruled out any chances of him returning to CPN-UML.
