Senior Nepali Congress leader Arjun Narsingh KC, who was earlier with the establishment faction, has switched sides and he is contesting for the post of general secretary from the Sher Bahadur Deuba camp in the ongoing general convention. The voting is scheduled for Sunday. Kamal Dev Bhattarai spoke with KC about his agenda and policy. Excerpts:

What are your main priority areas?

My main priority is ending factional and coterie politics in the party, which has badly affected party functioning as a whole. A decision made by a group of people has always been imposed on the party in the name of “official decisions”. Our team wants to make the party united by ending all sorts of factional politics. We will build a system to ensure institutional functioning of the party.  

You talked about ending factionalism in the party, but you changed the camp ahead of the convention. How will it help to end factional politics?

I announced my candidacy to send a message across that factional politics is not rife in the party. We have to end the psychological divisions in the party. Therefore, I made alliance with senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba. You cannot call it  changing camp.

Discussions on policy and programme always take a back seat during every convention. How do you plan to end this trend?

There is no denying that ours is a leader-oriented party, not a policy-oriented one. We have to address the burning issues inside and outside the party. Some have come up with ideas like holding two conventions—one for formulating party’s policy and programme and another for electing party leadership. We plan to call party’s Mahasamiti meeting after the convention to take decisions regarding party’s policy and programme. We are preparing a modality to find ways to resolve intra-party problems as well as problems faced by the country.

Critics say the NC is not serious about providing space to youth leaders?

There is no dispute in the party about grooming youth leaders and handing over the responsibility to them. In the previous convention, many youth leaders demonstrated their capability. We can ensure participation of youths only if we develop a system in the party and run in the spirit of the party statute.

You are pitted against your son-in-law (Gagan Thapa). Would you like to share your feelings?

Obviously, it is an uncomfortable situation.  But since we believe in a democracy, we have to take it in a normal way. I was planning to fight for the post of general secretary for a long time. It was not a decision that was taken overnight. I had told him (Gagan) about my candidacy. I don’t know why he took the decision [to fight for the post of general secretary]. It definitely does not feel comfortable, but the situation has compelled me to take it easily.