Nepali Congress edges closer to split as top office bearers expelled

Kathmandu: The Nepali Congress appears to be heading towards a split after the establishment faction of the party, led by President Sher Bahadur Deuba, on Wednesday decided to expel three office-bearers for five years for their alleged involvement in the Special General Convention (SGC).

A meeting of the Central Working Committee, dominated by Deuba loyalists, on Wednesday decided to expel General Secretaries Gagan Thapa, Bishwa Prakash Sharma and Joint General Secretary Farmullah Mansur for five years with immediate effect.

“Except for those subjected to disciplinary action, the meeting has made a heartfelt appeal to other office-bearers and members who, having been misled or carried away, were involved in activities against the party’s interests, to be reminded of party discipline, return to the party mainstream, and actively engage in regular party work,” the Central Working Committee’s decision read.

Responding to journalists’ queries about the possibility of revoking the disciplinary action, party Central Working Committee Member Min Bahadur Bishwakarma indicated that the door remains open for the Central Working Committee to hear the matter in the future if those penalised submit a satisfactory explanation or appeal.

The trio has been at the forefront of organising the ongoing SGC, which is preparing to hold elections on Wednesday for a new Central Working Committee. After several rounds of talks failed to resolve the internal dispute, the establishment faction moved to expel the party’s key office-bearers. Meanwhile, the dissident faction has proceeded with plans to elect new leadership through the SGC.

Thapa has fielded his candidate for party president, while other leaders have also submitted their candidacies. Responding to the expulsion, Thapa told the closed session of the SGC that the Central Working Committee had been dissolved and that a notification had already been sent to the Election Commission.

He further said that the SGC would provide new leadership to the party. “Since we have a majority in the SGC, we will be given official recognition by the election body,” he said.

After multiple rounds of talks involving leaders from both factions failed to yield results, the dissident faction moved ahead with elections for a new Central Working Committee, while the establishment faction opted to take disciplinary action against the trio.

These measures have pushed the grand old party to the brink of a split, with both sides taking steps to secure recognition as the official Nepali Congress from the Election Commission.

The confrontation, coming just a few months ahead of the scheduled House of Representatives elections on March 5, has sparked fears among party leaders and cadres about its potential impact on the party’s electoral prospects.

The Nepali Congress has faced splits in the past. In 2002, the party fractured after then Prime Minister Deuba dissolved the House of Representatives. Following the dispute, he was expelled from the party and went on to form the Nepali Congress (Democratic).

The NC and NC (Democratic), which were part of the same alliance against the rule of then King Gyanendra Shah, reunited in September 2007 following the success of the 2006 People’s Movement. Now, Deuba — who can no longer contest the party presidency under the party statute — has once again become the focal point of a dispute that threatens another split.

IANS