Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Leftist leader Ghanshyam Bhusal has become active in a campaign to reorganize the CPN (Unified Socialist). According to leaders close to him, Bhusal initiated the campaign after realizing that leaders and cadres would not defect if the party retained its identity.
The Unified Socialist has merged with 12 leftist parties, including the CPN (Maoist Center), to form the Nepali Communist Party (NCP). However, many leaders and cadres of the party are still undecided about their future course. A gathering of these leaders earlier designated Bhusal as the coordinator of the unity campaign. More than five dozen Unified Socialist leaders attended that gathering.
Damodar Aryal, a leader close to Bhusal, told Himal Press that they have appealed to the Central Committee members of the then Unified Socialist to join their campaign. “We have told them not to go elsewhere, but to help build a new party right here,” Aryal said.
The campaign is scheduled to hold a gathering by mid-December during which the party will be officially declared.
“We will move the party forward in a new way following the gathering. The party’s name will also be made public at that time,” Aryal said, adding that the process to register the party with the Election Commission has already begun.
Aryal said that individuals tainted by corruption allegations will not be included in the party. “We will build a party against corruption. Its structure will differ from current political parties,” he explained. “We are designing a party where the Chairperson has the least authority. We will not grant power to individuals as existing parties do. Our ultimate decision-makers will be the General Convention representatives, followed by the Central Committee and the Secretariat.”
The campaign has decided not to pursue unity or cooperation with other groups immediately. Dialogue with other parties will commence only after the December gathering, Aryal said.
Although Bhusal is a prominent figure in leftist politics, his career has seen instability in recent years. Aryal believes the chaotic internal politics of the then-Nepal Communist Party (NCP), which was formed after the merger of the CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Center), adversely affected Bhusal. While he served as the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development in the KP Sharma Oli-led government under the NCP, he faced criticism for failing to deliver tangible results.
When Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal split from the UML to form Unified Socialist, Bhusal initially chose to stay with the UML. However, after failing to secure space within the Oli-led UML, he eventually joined the CPN (Unified Socialist) and became its General Secretary. He has since parted ways with then Unified Socialist Chairperson Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Although Bhusal was invited to join the Nepali Communist Party, he maintained that he would join the party only if the “old generation” was ready to relinquish leadership. However, since Nepal and then Maoist Center Coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal refused to give up leadership, Bhusal decided to spearhead a new campaign.
