Politics
Poudel faction lodges protest against Deuba’s move of forming 479-member ‘senior political assembly’
Main opposition Nepali Congress experiences factional feud once again as the party gears up for general convention in February next year.Post Report
Factional feud in the primary opposition Nepali Congress has risen its ugly head once again, as party President Sher Bahadur Deuba is making unilateral moves. And in the latest of the series of his actions, Deuba formed a 479-member "senior political assembly” on Wednesday, which has ruled his rival group, led by senior leader Ramchandra Poudel, no end.
Against various nominations by Deuba in the party at a time when the general convention has been declared, the Poudel faction on Thursday lodged a protest at the party headquarters, according to party leaders.
Senior party leaders Poudel, secretary general Shashanka Koirala, treasurer Sitadevi Yadav and leaders Prakashman Singh, Ram Sharan Mahat and Arjun Nar Singh KC among others were present at the party headquarters while submitting the protest letter.
“We have logged our reservations about the formation of various departments,” Mahat told the Post. “We have clearly conveyed our concern to the party President that formation of departments is not acceptable to us.”
A meeting of the Poudel camp on Wednesday decided to lodge a protest against Debua’s unilateral nominations, accusing him of breaching the code of conduct.
“Deuba’s highhandedness has been increasing and we are not going to tolerate it,” said Poudel. “We are going to demand that he must stop such unilateral activities immediately.”
Apart from forming over 20 party departments recently, Deuba on Wednesday formed the 479 -member assembly under his coordination.
The rival group is concerned that Deuba is trying to influence party members targeting the general convention which has been scheduled for February 19-22 in Kathmandu.
Minendra Rijal has taken a jibe at Deuba over his move of forming the “senior political assembly”.
“A 479-member senior political assembly has been formed under the chairmanship of the party president. While Dadeldhura has about two dozen members, Morang has three. Is it that everyone in Morang is young or I have lost the knowledge about the party’s history... I am just wondering,” Rijal wrote on Twitter.
Deuba, a four-time prime minister, is under pressure from the rival faction to make way for others to lead the party, but he has been reluctant to do so and instead has been eying yet another term as the party president through the general convention.
Despite a spectacular defeat in the 2017 elections, Deuba refused to step down, which many say goes against the party’s tradition.
The Poudel faction has called a press conference at the party headquarters later on Thursday.
After receiving the protest later, Deuba, according to a leader, told the rival faction that he as the party president reserves the right to form the departments.
Out of 48, Deuba has recently formed 20 party departments.
“I had sought your support, but you refused, so I went ahead,” the leader quoted Deuba as saying.