The Nepali Congress faction that did not participate in the party’s special general convention has announced separate gatherings in the name of maintaining party unity.
The faction led by former party president Sher Bahadur Deuba is organizing a gathering in Kathmandu from August 14 to 16. The gathering will be coordinated by former general secretary Shashank Koirala.
“With the objective of making the party stronger and more capable, an organizing committee of 551 members has been formed under my coordination, and a national gathering will be held in Kathmandu from August 14 to 16,” Koirala said.
Before that, young leaders from the non-establishment faction are organizing a gathering on August 5, while elected representatives who won local elections on Nepali Congress tickets are holding their own gathering on August 12.
Although the non-establishment faction has been announcing one gathering after another, the party’s establishment faction has continued its regular activities. Three separate events were held at the party’s central office on Sunday alone.
As parallel activities by the establishment and non-establishment factions have increased, a “third force” has emerged within the non-establishment camp, led by younger leaders, to bridge the divide.
The initiative is being led by former central member Nain Singh Mahar, National Assembly member Ranjit Karn, and Bhanu Municipality Mayor Ananda Raj Tripathi, among others.
Mahar claimed that both the establishment and non-establishment factions would participate in the unity gathering scheduled for August 5 in Sukedhara. He said that both sides should abandon their egos and stand for a united Congress, adding that party President Gagan Thapa should play a greater role in the process.
“We will invite the party’s local and provincial representatives from across the country to the gathering on August 5 and put both the establishment and non-establishment factions on the same platform to create an atmosphere of unity,” Mahar said at a press conference organized on Sunday. “We are not doing this with the expectation of getting positions. This is an effort to bring all ideological groups together and stand for a united Congress at a time when the party is on the verge of split.”
He said that the Congress should not split for anyone’s personal interests and announced that they would launch campaigns from hunger strikes to signature drives at ward and community levels to pressure leaders to keep the party united.
The non-establishment faction has demanded that 111 leaders who became central members from the 14th general convention held in 2021 but were left out of the central committee after the special general convention in January be reinstated as central members.
Party President Thapa has already responded that the party statute does not allow such a move. Mahar said that he and 34 others among those 111 leaders were staying away from seeking central committee positions in order to help unite the party.
“One side is demanding that all 111 leaders who were previously central members but were excluded from the special general convention be reinstated, while the establishment side says that it is not possible under the statute. This appears to be where the issue is stuck,” Mahar said. “If it is not possible to make all of them central members, 35 of us, including myself, will stay outside. We do not need positions. We will not even contest the 15th general convention, but the party must be united.”
Mahar said that although leaders from both factions say they do not oppose unity when approached, the conditions for unity have not materialized, prompting them to start a separate campaign to unite the country and the party.
Elected representatives who won local elections on Nepali Congress tickets in May 2022 have also urged both factions to reconcile and move forward together. They had planned to hold a national gathering on August 1, but it was postponed following the death of senior leader Gopal Man Shrestha. The gathering will now be held on August 12.
The local representatives from the Congress have said that they would collectively resign from their posts if the party moves toward a split.
They have been conducting a joint national pressure campaign for party unity and have already met President Thapa and several leaders from the non-establishment faction.
The campaign includes Mayors Bhim Prasad Dhungana, Chiri Babu Maharjan, Upendra Karki, Prakash Bhandari, and Laxman Shahi, among others. They issued an appeal on July 29 urging people at the local level to pressure top leaders to keep the party united.
President Thapa, however, had urged local representatives not to organize such gatherings at this time. Local representatives met Thapa on July 26. They have maintained that their campaign is not linked to any faction but is aimed at keeping the party united.
According to Upendra Karki, mayor of Kageshwari Manohara Municipality, who participated in the meeting with Thapa, the party president had said that a task force would be formed to resolve internal differences. During an office-bearers’ meeting, Thapa had proposed forming a four-member task force, with two members each from the establishment and non-establishment factions, to hold discussions with the disgruntled faction. Party office-bearers had agreed that such a mechanism could be formed. A party official said names of two members from the non-establishment faction were requested but have not yet been provided.
Amid plans for multiple gatherings and the formation of a task force, former party president Deuba and former acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka have again moved the Supreme Court over the special general convention issue.
Although Deuba is currently in Hong Kong for medical treatment, a petition has been filed at the Supreme Court in his name seeking to overturn the ruling related to the special general convention. The Supreme Court had earlier recognized the special general convention.
Deuba and Khadka filed separate petitions arguing that the verdict recognizing the special general convention was flawed. The Supreme Court’s full bench will study the matter.
Amid reports that Deuba may return home soon, his faction is preparing to hold a national gathering. The faction had appointed former general secretary Prakash Man Singh as coordinator for the BP Memorial Day event, while the national gathering will be held under the coordination of BP Koirala’s son, Shashank Koirala.
At a press conference organized by Koirala and other leaders to announce the national gathering, former acting president Khadka from the non-establishment faction was absent. Leader Shekhar Koirala also did not attend.
Regarding Shekhar Koirala’s absence, Shashank said: “I spoke with Shekhar dai several times. He said that he supports it but is busy and apologized for not being able to attend. He also said that he would make it clear through the news that he supports it.”
At the press conference, Shashank was seated alongside leaders including Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Bimalendra Nidhi, Minendra Rijal, Prakash Man Singh, and NP Saud.
Since speaking at the BP Memorial Day event held on July 22 at the Nepal Academy building, Khadka has not appeared at such events. He reportedly told close aides that he would not lead the party if the Congress were to split.
The Deuba faction has put forward Shashank Koirala as the leader of the non-establishment faction. He is reportedly supported by Mahendra Narayan Nidhi’s son, Bimalendra Nidhi, and Ganesh Man Singh’s son, Prakash Man Singh.
Meanwhile, speculation continues that Deuba may return home soon. Deuba had informed authorities, including the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), through letters that he would return by mid-August. However, his secretariat says no return date has been finalized.
Some leaders have claimed that Deuba will attend the faction’s gathering scheduled for August 14-16.
However, leader Min Bahadur Bishwakarma said that the issue would be finalized only after Deuba returns home. Since leaders such as Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Ganesh Man Singh did not participate in separate factional gatherings during party disputes in the past, Deuba may not attend the gathering organized by his faction even if he returns by that time.
The Nepali Congress is preparing to hold its 15th general convention in October. The process of updating and distributing active memberships is in its final stage, but the dispute over the special general convention remains unresolved. The Gagan Thapa-led central committee faces the challenge of holding a fair general convention acceptable to all factions.
Meanwhile, the party has called a central committee meeting for August 9.
