No contact with NC President for 31 days, says Khakda

KATHMANDU: Former Acting President of the Nepali Congress (NC) Purna Bahadur Khadka has said that he has had no communication of any kind with party President Gagan Kumar Thapa.

Khadka’s statement came amid reports that the two leaders were in talks to resolve the party’s internal disputes.

“I have finally been compelled to write this status,” Khadka wrote on his Facebook page. “I would like to make it clear to office-bearers, leaders, and active members at all levels of the party not to be influenced by the various misleading rumours circulating on social media and in the media. It has been 31 days today since I have had any form of contact or communication with President Gagan Kumar Thapa.”

Khadka said that despite making sincere efforts over the past two months to preserve party unity, there had been little progress. He also alleged that pressure was being exerted, under the pretext of updating membership records, on active members whose memberships had been renewed or newly issued for the party’s 15th General Convention.

“Over the past four-five days, party colleagues from across the country have been informing me by phone about the pressure being placed on newly renewed active members in the name of membership updates. Since this trend is extremely damaging to party life, I would like to draw the serious attention of the concerned parties to it,” Khadka said.

He further clarified that no one could be deprived of participating in the 15th General Convention just because their renewed or newly obtained active membership had not been updated.

“It is our responsibility to ensure that everyone is automatically entitled to participate in the General Convention,” he said. “The rumours spread over the past two days, claiming that the party headquarters will automatically update the active memberships of leaders, are merely attempts to create confusion within the party ranks.”