CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has nominated his daughter and her husband as the party’s central members.
His youngest daughter Ganga Dahal and her husband Jeevan Acharya were nominated central members by Dahal during the central committee meeting on Sunday.
“He doesn’t even know ‘P’ about the People’s War,” a central member replied when this scribe asked whether Acharya has been a Maoist cadre since the Maoist insurgency after announcement of nominated central members on Sunday. “He is a Maoist since wedding. Please do write this,” the central member replied when asked again when Acharya had joined the party.
Acharya got associated with the party after marrying Ganga around 15 years back. He was associated with Nepali Congress (NC) before that.
Dahal wanted to make the daughter and the son-in-law central members in March itself but stepped back following widespread criticism inside the party. He has finally nominated them this time.
And party leaders are opposing even this time. Maoist Chairman of Karnali Bimala KC asked during the central committee meeting on Sunday why Chairman Dahal is accused of nepotism.
Another central member told Setopati that the only qualification of Ganga and Acharya is being Chairman Dahal’s daughter and son-in-law. “We can debate in support of Renu Dahal (Bharatpur mayor and Dahal’s second daughter) at any place. Because she was Rolpa secretary at the time of People’s War,” the central member added.
Ganga oversees Dahal’s secretariat after death of Dahal’s only son Prakash. “Ganga was a housewife until Prakash Dahal died. Another thing is there is a difference between getting a job at the secretariat and becoming a central member,” the central member added.
The central member claimed that party leaders are complaining that they cannot get to meet Dahal at his residence in Khumaltar nowadays without blessings of Dahal and Acharya.
This is not the first time that Dahal has been accused of nepotism. He had got his cousin Narayan Dahal nominated National Assembly member by President Bidya Devi Bhandari. Narayan has been associated with the party for a long time but leaders complain that he was made federal lawmaker merely because he is Dahal’s cousin.
Dahal has also made granddaughter Shristi KC central member of the party’s student wing even though she was not associated in any committee.
