Inclusion of additional 25 members in NSU ad hoc committee
Ensure majority of chiefs in Tarun Dal, women´s wing
KATHMANDU, June 9 : Sher Bahadur Deuba led faction of Nepali Congress (NC) has set preconditions to end its eight-month-long boycott of the Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting over a row in the party´s sister organizations.[break]
Leaders close to Deuba faction said they will be in a position to sit together for CWC meeting should the party´s establishment addressed their concerns mainly on the formation of the ad hoc committees of Nepal Students Union, Nepal Women´s Association and Nepal Tarun Dal.
“We have demanded the party establishment agree to induct 25 additional members from our side in the NSU ad hoc committee and ensure that presidents enjoy a slim majority of members in their respective sister organization ," said a top leader, who asked not to be named.
The leader said though there will still be outstanding issues such as formation of parliamentary board and formation of various departments of the party, the willingness of the establishment side to address these preconditions could help end its boycott of the CWC meeting.
"Though the 101-member ad hoc committee in itself is already too big, we have asked the party´s establishment to include 25 additional members from our side to make it more balanced”," he further said.
Deuba faction has been boycotting the CWC meeting after party President Sushil Koirala dissolved working committees of seven sister organizations including NSU, Nepal Tarun Dal and Nepal Women´s Association on September 20, 2011. Deuba subsequently tendered his resignation from the party´s CWC membership eight days later apparently to show his displeasure over the move.
The long-running conflict had seemingly come to an end after Koirala and Deuba agreed to name the chiefs of seven various sister organizations including the NSU on February 5.
As per the understanding reached between the two sides, establishment side picked the chiefs of Nepal Students´ Union, Nepal Democratic Fighter´s Association and Nepal Farmers´ Association. Likewise, Deuba side named the chiefs of Nepal Tarun Dal, Nepal Women´s Association, Nepal Aaadibasi Janajati Sangh and Nepal Rastriya Magar Sangh.
The patch-up of the intra-party difference was short-lived, though.
All 28 members from Deuba side resigned en masse after the party´s establishment faction formed a 101-member ad hoc committee of the NSU, breaching the previous agreement to form 61-member ad hoc committee. The NSU ad hoc committee holds importance as it is entrusted to hold a fresh general convention of the student wing, the first after the unification of NC (Democratic) with its mother party, NC.
Deuba faction has also alleged that some of the names proposed by their side were omitted while forming the ad hoc committees of Nepal Tarun Dal and Nepal Women´s Association. "The names we proposed as per the understanding were also removed while constituting the ad hoc committees. The establishment side could have at least asked us before removing the name”," another leader close to Deuba said.
Deuba faction leaders argue that there was an understanding to ensure ´minimum´ majority to the chiefs of the respective sister organizations. "Some leaders of the establishment faction have misinterpreted that it was the majority of party president and not the majority of the president concerned of the sister organization," the leader said. "We have demanded majority in favor of the chiefs of Nepal Women´s Association and Nepal Tarun Dal."
Related story
Entrepreneurs set various preconditions to resume public transp...
