The recent Gen Z uprising against corruption, which has so far resulted in 74 deaths, has intensified pressure for restructuring within traditional political parties, and the grand old Nepali Congress is facing the strongest calls for change.

Though party president Sher Bahadur Deuba is currently recovering in Nepali Army Hospital in Chhauni after protesters vandalised and burnt his home and beat him up on September 9, calls have grown to totally restructure the party by removing the old leadership.

On Monday, a signature campaign demanding a special general convention was launched by dozens of general convention representatives, led by General Secretary Gagan Thapa and senior leader Shekhar Koirala, who say the party must be restructured in response to the Gen Z movement.

But the party establishment (Deuba faction) has called the campaign “unfortunate.”

“Demanding a special convention at a time when the party president is undergoing treatment in hospital after a brutal attack is unfortunate,” Congress spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat told the Post.

After a meeting in Kathmandu on Monday, 109 general convention representatives signed the petition and urged others to join the campaign. Leaders close to Thapa-Koirala camp including Gururaj Ghimire and Devraj Chalise, among others, also signed the petition.

“Since the establishment of the Nepali Congress, the party has faced many crises. We have dealt with all those crises and challenges. We have continued to face threats to the nation, nationalism, and democracy, and have defeated attacks on the party,” the petition states. “We now face the challenge of how to confront the current crisis and determine the future path.”

Spokesperson Mahat, who is a Deuba loyalist, called the move a mistake, saying it weakens the party.

“They [Thapa-Koirala] should at least wait for the party president to recover. Once he recovers and is discharged from the hospital, we can convene the central working committee and discuss all these issues. But this is not right to call a meeting while the party president is undergoing treatment after a brutal attack,” said Mahat.

The signatories say the party’s policies, decisions, actions, and overall conduct were responsible for the unprecedented Gen Z protests, and the Congress needs an internal overhaul.

“Serious questions have been raised before the party. Confronting these issues is a painful compulsion, yet they stand before us like mountains that cannot be avoided,” the petition signed by the representatives says.

“We have repeatedly offered critical and constructive suggestions on the functioning of the government and the party. We have also warned about possible future crises. However, neither the government nor the party paid any attention. Nor were they willing to correct themselves. We would like to sadly remind you that those party members who repeatedly questioned the leadership’s working style were sidelined and subjected to unfair treatment.”

Clause 17(2) of the Congress statute states: “If deemed necessary by the Central Working Committee, or if 40 percent of the members of the Central General Convention submit a written request to the center stating special reasons to convene a meeting of the Central General Convention, a special convention must be called within three months of receiving the request.”

The party’s another general secretary, Bishwa Prakash Sharma, has not publicly revealed his position on party restructuring, although some party sources say he favours an overhaul. On Tuesday, Sharma said that a central committee decision is needed to call for a special convention.

Talking to the Post’s sister publication, Kantipur, senior Congress leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula said a special convention will harm the party. “We have to hold the regular convention. It is the responsibility of party general secretaries to ensure that the general convention is held on time,” Sitaula said.

To call the special convention, the Thapa-Koirala faction must secure support from almost 2,000 party representatives.

The Congress has a total of 4,743 General Convention representatives, including those from 165 electoral constituencies, sister and well-wisher organisations, and overseas liaison committees. According to the party’s statute, 40 percent of these representatives can demand a special convention. If they make a formal demand, the party’s central committee has to make a decision.

The party had convened its 14th general convention in December 2021. By mid-December, the four year term of all elected party bodies will expire, but the party remains unprepared for the regular convention just three months away.

As per the party charter, the central working committee can extend the term and mandate of all its elected bodies by six months. And Nepal’s constitution allows political parties an additional year of extension if they fail to hold their general conventions.

Last Friday, a meeting of former Congress officer bearers including Prakash Man Singh, Bimalendra Nidhi, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Shashanka Koirala, and Mahat concluded that it is almost impossible to hold the general convention in December and urged the party leadership to set a new date.

With the new government announcing general elections for March 5, holding the general convention in December has become unfeasible for the Congress.

The petition signatories stated that apart from a special general convention, there is no other forum to correct past mistakes and chart a better course for the party.

“In order to address the various questions raised about the leadership and to decide the path forward, we feel the need for a special general convention. We, the general convention representatives, appeal to all members of the Nepali Congress to join this campaign,” they said.

While these leaders have launched the signature campaign, party president Deuba and his aides are preparing to extend the term of all elected party bodies by one more year.

Although Deuba, who commands a clear majority in the central committee, is supposed to hold the party’s 15th general convention by November or December, this deadline is sure to be missed.

“This is not a time to make noise and disturb the party. We have to take the party towards the regular convention, and it is the job of the general secretaries to ensure that by settling the row over active membership,” said Sitaula. “A special convention, on the other hand, will destroy the party’s unity,” said Sitaula.