Special convention must be held by Jan 11: Thapa

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa has said that he would enforce the provision enshrined in Article 17(2) of the statute related to the special convention.

“Although a proposal to hold the regular general convention on May 11-14 was endorsed by a majority, the issue of a special convention has yet to be resolved,” Thapa said, speaking to journalists after the Central Work Execution Committee meeting on Friday. “A special convention must be held by January 11 in accordance with Article 17(2) of the party statute.”

According to Thapa, the acting party president presented a proposal to hold the general convention in May and extend the tenure of the executive committee as per Article 43. “The proposal was passed by a majority, even though four or five of us registered dissenting opinions,” Thapa said. “Once a demand for a special convention is submitted, it must be convened within three months. January 11–12 is the latest deadline to hold the special convention.”

He added that a decision on the special convention should be taken now. “We have registered our dissenting views in today’s meeting. We will wait for another day or two. It would be best if the party president calls a meeting immediately and convenes the special convention as per the party statute,” he said. “But if the leadership says the term of the Central Working Committee has been extended and everyone should go home, we will not accept that. In such a situation, I will ensure compliance with Article 17(2) of the statute, and I will see that it is enforced.”