Debate on leadership election rules the roost in NC’s 13th National Convention (Commentary)

Mahendra Subedi / Kathmandu: The 13th National Convention of the Nepali Congress (NC)–country’s grand old and the single largest political party in the Legislature-Parliament– that begins in the capital city Thursday is anticipated to be a milestone in the party’s future in Nepali politics.

The NC’s delegates and observers to the National Convention have arrived from different districts and overseas for their participation in the jamboree with a new vigour to make the party energetic through the election of a fresh leadership. However, going by debates and exercise that have taken place so far, the NC’s general convention is found to lack focus on party’s policies and its position on burning issues of the country.

Critics and even the NC leaders admit that discussions and debate on social, economic and political discourses are lacking and the focus of the entire party seems on just the election of the leadership. The debate has so far remained focused on selection of the leadership which in fact calls for a separate convention to hold extensive deliberations on the party’s policy and programmes, NC lawmaker and central leader Jeevan Pariyar admits.

However, a large section of people within and outside the party take the ongoing debate as a very natural phenomenon in a democracy. It’s true that the ongoing debates of National Convention are focused on selecting leadership rather than developing noble ideas in the party. But, attention are being paid to also dwell on ideological and theoretical issues,” NC leader and National Convention representative Puspha Parajuli said.

NC’s priority
First and the foremost, the NC is supposed to offer convincing arguments to settle the country’s major problems, including the Madhes agitation and grievances of some dissenting groups, implementation of the new constitution, charting the state mechanisms in line with the federal setup, rebuilding the quake-ravaged infrastructures and ensure good-governance, among others. Equally serious the NC should do is to unveil concrete steps for economic prosperity through economic revolution by helping to create investment friendly-environment in the country and pave the way forward for socialism as envisaged by the NC’s most popular leader to date BP Koirala.

Pariyar, who has announced his candidacy for the central committee member under the Dalit quota, stresses the need of four agendas including unity of lingual, ethnic, social, religious and class-based diversities; harmony between castes, languages and religious for the prosperous nation; new national development based on new thought and new technology and role of youth for nation’s prosperity.

Pariyar and Parajuli, both giving special emphasis on economic, social and cultural changes after the successful completion of the political revolution in the country, opined that developing infrastructures for economic revolution, strengthening nationality and developing a permanent mechanism for making our nationality robust in regard to sensitive relations with giant neighbors– China and India.

Similarly, the NC should give all in all protection to all democratic parties from their fallout for the political polarization as well as reduce the number of political parties in the country.

Likewise, the NC should seriously review its policy to ensure meaningful participation of women, youth, Dalit and other indigenous communities by truly embracing the principle of proportional representation. But, leader Parajuli refuses the allegation on NC and says “It’s not true that NC is illiberal to Madhesi, Jajajati, indigenous and minorities but the party seems comparatively intolerant when it comes to the representation of youth. The established leaders fear their replacement when space is given to the youth.”

Furthermore, the NC that missed the golden opportunity to lead the national unity government in the post-constitution promulgation period should work together with other parties too for the effective implementation of the new statute.

On leadership

National Convention representative and former student leader, Nain Singh Mahar said that selecting efficient leadership with quality to implement the party’s documents in letter and spirit is the need of the hour to drive the party. “BP Koirala unveiled the policy of inclusion in the party decades back and we need competent leadership that can translate BP’s dreams into reality. Also, we need the leadership that has the readiness to accommodate the grievances prevalent in Tarai Madhes and others,” the journalist turned politician Mahar told RSS.

He added that equally important for the NC is ‘new face with new message’ because in the past the leaders though bearing new face failed to transform themselves and implement the NC’s policy that best suits the people’s aspirations.

Mahar claims that party senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba is a suitable figure because of his long experience in politics and the robust international relations, and his qualities can be used for nation’s prosperity. He went on to say that Deuba is also the need of the time for his decision-making capacity and his forward-looking economic approach.

Parajuli, though agreeing to Mahar on giving priority for the implementation of new constitution and making mechanism for the same, stated that party’s Acting President Ram Chandra Poudel is comparatively the better candidate for the party’s top post due to his idealistic political background and the sentiment of the majority of the delegates is also to see him at the helm of the party at least one last time.

So, the NC’s 13th National Convention should not only be a meant for electing the leadership but for planning an effective policy and end the deep-rooted factional feuds existing in the party for long. Running the party in a fair system based on contributions, meritocracy, sacrifices, capacity and necessity of cadres and leaders; mending the leaders’ working style and assuring transparent living of the leaders in line with the party’s socialistic approach would be an opportunity for the NC in the post-13th national general. This, for sure, is in the interest of the NC’s future, democratic principles and a just society at large. RSS