KATHMANDU: It has been 15 months since Nepali Congress held its 14th general convention, and the party is now in disarray. The convention held on December 13-15, 2021, elected a new working committee with Sher Bahadur Deuba as President, along with young leaders Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma elected as general secretaries.
However, since assuming the party presidency, Deuba has failed to make the party’s sister wings active. The inclusion of young leaders in the working committee was expected to make the party more dynamic, but the party has instead become weaker. Experts say that the fact that the situation of NC is not improving even after leaders who used to criticize the working style of party president Deuba have reached responsible positions in the party does not bode well for the democratic system.
“We failed to take the party forward. There were some mistakes. We will make the NC the largest party in the country in the election,” Deuba said after being elected to the post. But there are no hints that the mistakes will be corrected, even though NC has become the largest party by forging an electoral alliance. Despite being the largest party, NC has been criticized for losing the opportunity to form the government.
Many NC leaders and cadres say the coalition formed before the election broke because of Deuba. As a result, many NC lawmakers preparing to join the federal and provincial government are now in the opposition bench.
Out of the seven provinces in the country, the NC has managed to form the government only in Sudurpashchim, and that too after Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP) withdrew its support to CPN-UML’s Rajendra Singh Rawal. However, the fate of the government lies in the hands of the Maoist Center and NUP.
Deuba doesn’t seem concerned about forming the party’s departments, holding statute conventions, or organizing central working committee meetings. He hasn’t indicated that they would be held anytime soon. Deuba is focused on reviving the coalition by winning Maoist Center’s support for its candidate in the presidential election. It is for this reason that the working committee meeting has been postponed indefinitely. The party hasn’t even been able to call a meeting to review the election. Similarly, the Mahasamiti Meeting, which has to be convened at least once a year, has not been able to convene. Many allege that Deuba, who is said to be an experienced player of parliamentary politics, is at it yet again.
Departments still to be formed
As per the party statute, NC has to form 28 departments within six months of the general convention. But the party has not yet begun preparations for the same. The department can be formed under a central working committee member having a maximum of 51 members. As per the statute, the authority to nominate chief, deputy chief, secretary, and members rests with the president. Making these departments active, however, is the responsibility of the general secretaries.
As per the party statute, these departments must hold a meeting every two months and submit a report to the central working committee every five months. It is the responsibility of these departments to make the party’s sister organizations. Since the party has not formed departments yet, the sister organizations are in further chaos.
“We are holding talks to form departments and fill vacant positions in sister organizations. The work couldn’t be completed on time due to some technical issues,” NC Spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat told Himal Press. “The departments will be formed very soon.”
Working committee postponed
Not only the leaders of the anti-establishment factions, even leaders close to Deuba are calling the party to call the central working committee meeting at the earliest.
The party has held its central working committee only three times in the past 15 months. As per the party statute, a central working committee meeting must be convened at least every two months.
NC Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said the party couldn’t focus attention on the central working committee because of different elections held since the general convention. “We have seen local government elections as well as the federal and province elections. The presidential election is in the offing,” he told Himal Press. “Party’s regular works were affected because of these elections. After the presidential election, all remaining works of the party will be completed and the party will be dynamic.
Mahat claimed that the meeting was postponed for the time being on the request of other leaders. “The party has not been able to call its central working committee because of other pressing issues. Other leaders told President Deuba that party work can be completed after the presidential election,” Mahat claimed.
NC, which elected fewer women leaders in its working committee, must prioritize women for nomination. As per the party statute, at least 33 members in the 168-member working committee must be women. Deuba nominated 23 leaders to the working committee before the November 20 election. He is still to nominate 10 more members.
Sister wings in chaos
The work performance committee meeting held in February last year decided to give full shape to sister organizations of the party by mid-March. But it hasn’t been implemented yet. Although the president has been appointed in Nepal Student Union, NEpal Tarun Dal, Nepal Women’s Association and Nepal Farmers’ Union, their working committee is yet to be formed. Nepal Adivasi Janajati Sangh has a full-functioning working committee as its president was authorized to form the committee on his own.
“All these pending works will be completed after the presidential election,” said Mahat.
Statute convention uncertain
When the party was organizing its 14th general convention, party leaders and cadres had questioned about statute convention. But the party leadership decided to elect the new leadership and hold the statute convention at a later date. The first meeting of the working committee held right after the general convention also held a discussion on the statute convention. But the work is not proceeding because of Deuba’s lack of willingness.
“We are holding a discussion on statute convention. It has not moved ahead as it is not the appropriate time,” he added.
