Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Provincial chiefs of the Nepali Congress (NC) have said that the party’s perception of the provincial structure should change.
Speaking at the central working committee meeting of the party in Lalitpur on Wednesday, Krishna Yadav, the president of NC’s Madhesh Provincial Committee, called for the abolishment of the party’s provincial structure if everything has to be controlled from the center. “Abolish the provincial committees if you want. We will contribute to the party from district committees, just like in the past,” Yadav said. “But if the provincial structure is to be continued, stop governing from the center and allow provincial committees to work on their own.”
Shukra Raj Sharma, the president of NC’s Gandaki Provincial Committee, requested the party leadership to stop the centralized system of governance. He also expressed objections to the unnecessary interference of central leaders in district and municipal committees. “Provincial structure is losing relevance as central leaders are establishing direct contacts with district and municipal committees,” Sharma said. “Those at the district and municipal committees have also stopped feeling that they are under the jurisdiction of the provinces.”
Indra Bahadur Baniya, the president of NC’s Bagmati Provincial Committee, also criticized the party leadership for bypassing the provincial structure. He stated, “People are demanding change. Maybe we should adopt a first-past-the-post (FPTP) election system only. Perhaps we should also consider amending the constitution,” Baniya said. “We should try to find out why people are disappointed with the constitution that was once hailed as one of the best in the world.”
He further pointed out that new political forces were arising due to the failure of the old parties to work in accordance with the spirit of the constitution.
