Once close allies, Gagan and Shekhar now drifting apart

KATHMANDU: Once allies from the same faction during the 14th General Convention of the Nepali Congress in 2022, party General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa and senior leader Dr Shekhar Koirala now appear to be drifting apart. So much so, their coordination and communication have broken down in recent months, say leaders.

Although both leaders opposed recent disciplinary action taken by the party against 18 leaders and cadres, the two have not been in touch. Leaders close to both Thapa and Koirala say the rift has grown more visible since the party’s Disciplinary Committee initiated proceedings that many in the Koirala faction view as politically motivated and aimed at silencing dissent.

Thapa was not present at a meeting of central leaders organised by the Koirala camp in Kathmandu recently. None of Thapa’s close allies attended the gathering. Ajaya Babu Shiwakoti, a leader close to Thapa, said they had received no information about the event. “We have no information about that gathering,” Shiwakoti told Himal Press.

Guru Ghimire, a leader from the Koirala camp, acknowledged that coordination between Dr Koirala and General Secretary Thapa had reduced significantly in recent months. “It seems he (Thapa) is no longer engaged with our side,” Ghimire said.

Thapa has also protested the disciplinary action, comparing it to the infamous “Kot Massacre”. He warned that such actions would weaken the party.

Despite sharing common views, he has distanced himself from Koirala’s strategy and platform. Political analysts believe the lack of coordination between the two leaders is more than coincidental, especially as both are believed to be preparing for a leadership contest in the party’s next general convention.

“Both Thapa and Koirala are eyeing the party presidency. Since two leaders from the same faction cannot run for the top post, they have begun taking separate paths,” political analyst Dr Bishnu Dahal said.

Dahal argued that Thapa’s attempts to project himself as a political celebrity and his silence on controversial actions by Sher Bahadur Deuba, KP Sharma Oli and Arzu Rana Deuba have weakened his credibility. “Just as former general secretary Taranath Ranabhat once silently sided with the royal palace, Thapa now appears to be standing as a silent witness to Deuba’s politics,” Dahal said.

Thapa, who lost the race for parliamentary party leader to Deuba in 2022, was initially seen as aligned with Koirala’s camp. An informal understanding had been reached at that time for Koirala to run for party president and Thapa for parliamentary party leader. However, that agreement now seems to have collapsed now.

NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, who will not contest for leadership in the next general convention due to term limits, has not named his successor yet. Thapa is positioning himself for the top post, while Koirala has already confirmed his candidacy, putting the two once-allied leaders on a collision course.