Nagarik Unmukti in crisis as leadership dispute deepens

KATHMANDU: The Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP), a rising political force in Nepal’s Tharuhath region, is facing an internal power tussle that threatens to split the party.

While differences between party Patron Resham Lal Chaudhary and Chairperson Ranjita Shrestha, who happens to be his spouse, are long-running, the current turmoil began after Chaudhary called on Shrestha to respond to bribery allegations against her in the Central Committee.

Shrestha has been accused of offering a bribe to Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Rajkumar Gupta in a bid to transfer a land revenue officer, allegedly to facilitate the ownership transfer of a land plot in Pokhara. Minsiter Gupta has already stepped down. The matter is under investigation by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).

However, instead of convening a meeting of the Central Committee as asked by Chaudhary, Shrestha temporarily stepped down from the party, citing health reasons and appointed Shiva Bastola of Kaski as the Acting Chairperson. The decision infuriated Chaudhary and drew sharp criticisms from party leaders and cadres who said the decision was against the party statute.

Chaudhary’s camp then organized a National Gathering of party leaders, which endorsed the party’s Disciplinary Committee’s recommendation to remove Shrestha from her position as party chairperson and strip her party membership. It also named Chadhary’s father, Lalbir Chaudhary, as the new Chairperson.

Shrestha has rejected the gathering’s legitimacy, arguing that only the chairperson has the authority to convene a National Gathering as per the party statute.

Challenging party Patron Chaudhary, she has also sought a 24-hour clarification from the party’s parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives, Gangaram Chaudhary, for making efforts to remove her as the Chairperson. Citing Clause 17 of the party’s interim statute, Shrestha has sought a 24-hour written clarification from parliamentary party leader Chaudhary, questioning why his actions should not be deemed punishable.