Deuba faction rejects establishment decisions, sticks to November convention

Kathmandu / Sept. 14: The internal rift in the Nepali Congress (NC) has deepened, with the Sher Bahadur Deuba faction deciding to reject decisions made by the establishment faction led by President Gagan Thapa.

A meeting of the Deuba faction held at Deuba’s residence in Chundevi on Monday concluded that it would not recognize the leadership formed by the special general convention held in January as legitimate. Leaders said the meeting also decided not to recognize decisions made by the Central Work Execution Committee formed after the special convention. The Deuba faction is preparing to make its position public through a press conference on Monday evening.

Earlier, the establishment faction had decided to allow all central members elected by the 14th General Convention to participate in the 15th General Convention in their existing capacity. The Deuba faction, however, said it could not accept decisions taken unilaterally without political consensus and discussion.

The Deuba faction has decided to proceed with its earlier plan to hold the 15th General Convention in Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December). For this, the faction has decided to hold conventions at various levels of the party starting October 1.

The meeting also decided to form and give full shape to the Election Committee, Disciplinary Committee and Active Membership Management Committee as part of preparations for the general convention. The faction said Ek Raj Pokhrel has already been appointed coordinator of the Election Committee.

The Deuba faction is preparing to continue its activities accordingly until the Supreme Court delivers its verdict on the party’s official status, after allowing a review of the case.

The Deuba faction has been demanding that renewed active members be recognized for the 15th General Convention and that central members elected by the 14th General Convention be incorporated into the new party structure. Although these demands were addressed, the faction continues to disagree over the legitimacy of the special convention and has therefore decided not to participate in the general convention scheduled by the establishment faction for Ashoj (mid-September to mid-October).