Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Sher Bahadur Deuba-led faction of the Nepali Congress (NC) has expressed objection to discussions about revoking party memberships.
Senior leader of the faction, Purna Bahadur Khadka, said that no one has the authority to cancel the active membership of general party members except under provisions established by the party’s general convention.
Issuing a statement on Monday in his capacity as ‘acting president’, Khadka said that active membership is not merely proof of an individual’s affiliation with the party, but also a testament to their contribution to its historical legacy and continuity. He added that it would be ill-intentioned for any faction to announce a general convention while internal party disputes are under consideration at the Supreme Court.
“Since the schedule for the party’s 15th general convention, set to be held in Kathmandu from May 11 to 14, has already been finalized, it would be illegal, biased, and objectionable to invalidate active memberships issued or renewed within that timeline and to allow only newly updated members to participate in the convention,” he added in the statement.
Earlier on Monday, General Secretary Pradip Paudel said the party had not proposed scrapping active memberships. “Many have asked us whether the party is planning to cancel existing memberships. We are not scrapping memberships; we are updating them,” he wrote in a social media post.
