NC’s 13th National Convention opens amidst grand ceremony

Kathmandu / March 3: The historic 13th Ntaional Convention of the Nepali Congress has opened at the capital’s Khula Manch amidst a grand ceremony today.

The slogan of the13th national convention is – Constitution Under Sushil’s leadership, Now Our Campaign is to Build Prosperous Nation.

The national convention of the country’s oldest party has started about one and half years behind schedule. The 12th national convention was also held in the capital on September 17-21, 2010.

Party’s acting president Ram Chandra Poudel inaugurated the 13th National Convention by lighting the traditional Panas lamp. The NC has the tradition of the party president inaugurating the national congress.

Artistes of the Nepal Cultural Association presented a variety of cultural programmes before the inauguration.

The four-day national convention will elect the party president, general secretary, treasurer and 64 members to the central committee. The nomination for the party new leadership has started from today alone. The remaining members on the 85-member central working committee would be nominated by the party president as per the NC’s statute.

Present at the inauguration ceremony to extend their best wishes to the NC are the Prime Minister and CPN (UML) chairman KP Sharma Oli, chairman of the UCPN (Maoist) Pushpa Kamal Dahal, leader of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal, Rajiv Parajuli, Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (Loktantrik), Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the Rastriya Janamorcha Chitra Bahadur KC and Deputy Prime Minister and general secretary of the CPN (ML) Chandra Prakash Mainali.

Also present are president of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Lokendra Bahadur Chand among party leaders.

Nepali Congress senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, general secretaries Prakash Man Singh and Krishna Prasad Sitaula, central party office-bearers, the party’s General Council members, National Convention delegates, active members of the party and leaders and cadres of the party at various levels as well as well-wishers are present in large numbers.

The Chief Minister of Bihar State of India Nitish Kumar, the Information Minister of Bangladesh Hasanul Haq Inu, the Socialist International Secretary-General Luis Ayala and other distinguished foreign invitee delegates are also present in the inauguration.

Before the start of the ceremony, procession of cultural tableaus organised by the Nepali Congress from various places in the capital descended on the Khula Manch.

The Khula Manch or the open-air-theatre has been richly decorated with the party flags and banners.

Large LCD screens and sound boxes have been placed at different vantage points for the convenience of the viewers and audiences. RSS