Shashank calls for boycott of establishment faction’s convention

KATHMANDU: Former Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretary Shashank Koirala has urged party leaders and cadres not to participate in the general convention “being held by bypassing established procedures”.

He instead appealed to them to participate in the convention process scheduled to begin on October 2 under the calendar announced by the leadership elected at the party’s 14th General Convention.

In a statement issued on Monday, Koirala said the dispute within the party was not merely about an individual, group or position, but a serious political issue concerning the legitimacy of the party’s leadership, democratic culture, organizational unity and future.

“Although efforts were made from the beginning to hold the 15th General Convention on the basis of consensus, cooperation and unity, they were not received positively,” Koirala said. “Our calls to avoid creating further disputes in the party and weakening organizational unity were also ignored.”

Koirala issued the statement after a meeting of the party’s dissident faction on Monday decided to reject the party establishment’s decision to allow members of the Central Working Committee formed after the 14th General Convention to participate in the 15th General Convention in the same capacity.

Stating that the issue of the party’s legitimacy is sub judice, Koirala said consensus should be reached by suspending the general convention calendar announced unilaterally. “It will not be appropriate to move ahead unilaterally before the Supreme Court delivers its verdict,” he added.

Koirala also criticized the practice of making the distribution of party positions the basis for political consensus. “The approach of offering party positions only if certain conditions were accepted, or treating the allocation of positions as the basis for resolving the dispute, will weaken the Nepali Congress’ democratic culture,” he said. “The self-respect of NC leaders and cadres cannot be a subject of bargaining over positions.”

He also accused the party leadership elected by the so-called Special General Convention of seeking to institutionalize division rather than unite the party through its convention process. He said the issue should be resolved by placing the party’s future at the center while respecting both the legal and political dimensions of the dispute.

Koirala, who belongs to the party’s dissident faction, which has published a separate general convention calendar, also urged party leaders, cadres and well-wishers not to be influenced by confusion and irresponsible political propaganda. The faction is preparing for the general convention under Koirala’s coordination.

The NC is holding its 15th General Convention in Kathmandu from October 2–5. The dissident faction, meanwhile, is holding its 15th General Convention on December 7-9.