Nembang, who was beaten up and held hostage by the Shalikram Jammakattel faction of the trade union 10 days ago, formed a 175-member committee after a meeting of trade union members loyal to Dr Bhattarai on Friday.
This means the Maoist trade union has formally split into three factions. Earlier, Badri Bajgain, who is close to Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya, had formed a parallel trade union, challenging the leadership of Jammakattel, who is close to Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. [break]
Beside Dr Bhattarai, Maoist standing committee member Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and politburo members Ram Karki, Devendra Paudel and Nabaraj Subedi attended the meeting of trade union members loyal to Bhattarai.
Nembang was active in bringing together the rival factions led by Jammakattel and Bajgain and forging unity in the trade union after Bajgain formed his parallel union last month.
Speaking about the Friday meeting, Nembang said, “We formed a committee for a unity campaign”. Nembang, who has been named coordinator of the campaign, added, “It will exert pressure [on rival factions] to unite.”
According to him, the committee will very soon form similar committees in each state committee of the party and at industrial enterprises down to the local level.
“The unity campaign will end only after the two rival factions unite,” Nembang said about the committee´s plan.
But Maoist leader Shakti Basnet, who is party in-charge of the trade union, voiced his objection to the development and said, “It is ridiculous and unbecoming for the party vice-chairman to participate in such a meeting and address it as chief guest.”
The internal crisis in the trade union flared up after the rival factions declined to abide by the party Standing Committee decision last month. The party had decided to downsize the current central committee (CC) of the union from 251 members to 93 members and entrust the CC with holding the union´s national convention.
Meanwhile, the Bajgian faction is scheduled to hold a meeting of the Sanghiya Parisad, a mega gathering of all central committee members of Maoist trade union chapters, on Saturday.
Peasants Association gets office-bearers
The Maoist-affiliated All Nepal Peasants Association (2007) (ANPA) finally got its office-bearers on Friday, three months after its convention. Internal conflict in the party had delayed the appointment of office-bearers.
“Our office bearers are appointed on the basis of region, language, nationalities and state committee,” Nanda Bahadur Budha Magar, general-secretary, said, adding that the appointments reflect the equation in the party among Chairman Dahal and Vice-chairmen Baidya and Bhattarai.
Related story
Cooperation for trade
