Kathmandu, August 18
Leaders of the Nepali Congress establishment have strongly objected to proposals endorsed by a convention organised by the faction led by former party president Sher Bahadur Deuba, saying the decisions cannot be considered the official position of the party.
They argued that the proposals cannot override the party’s statute, institutional decisions or constitutional processes.
Nepali Congress General Secretary Pradip Paudel said leaders who had spent years in politics under Deuba appeared to be retreating from the political values and constitutional achievements they had previously championed.
“It appears they have moved away from what they struggled for throughout their political lives,” Paudel told Onlinekhabar.
He said it was inappropriate for leaders who had played a major role in promulgating the Constitution to now appear to be moving away from its achievements.
Paudel also rejected the documents endorsed by the Deuba camp as official Nepali Congress documents.
He said any group within the party has the right to meet, discuss issues and reach conclusions, but such decisions can become official party positions only after being endorsed through the party’s authorised forums.
“Those documents are not official. They have not been approved by an authorised forum of the party. They represent the views of those who participated in that gathering,” Paudel said.
The Deuba camp held a three-day gathering in Sukedhara and on Sunday endorsed proposals on politics, economic policy, organisation, contemporary national issues, and law and the party statute.
The group said the proposals incorporated suggestions and opinions collected through discussions among seven provincial-level groups.
The convention also decided to make Sanatan Dharma a national identity.
On the issue, Paudel said the Nepali Congress remains committed to the political principles it had advocated under Deuba’s leadership.
“We will continue to take forward the ideas that he himself taught and upheld,” he said.
‘We are not concerned about the faction’
Nepali Congress Joint General Secretary Farmullah Mansoor said there was no confusion over who leads the party.
“Gagan Kumar Thapa is the president of the Nepali Congress. This is a party under his leadership,” Mansoor said.
The Deuba camp has decided that the 15th general convention will be held under Deuba’s chairmanship, claiming it would be organised by the Central Working Committee elected by the 14th general convention.
It also decided that regular party activities until the general convention would be coordinated under the direction of Deuba by convention coordinator Dr Shashank Koirala.
Mansoor said such gatherings by former party leaders or factions would not affect the current leadership. He even mocked the Deuba camp’s convention, comparing it to a street performer displaying a monkey at a crossroads.
Joint General Secretary Dila Sangraula also said the party would not accept any of the proposals endorsed by the Deuba camp.
“The proposals passed by the national convention are not official. The party president has already made this clear,” she said. ‘We would have welcomed Deuba at the party office’
Joint General Secretary Yogendra Chaudhary said the party hoped Deuba’s return to Nepal would help strengthen institutional ties rather than deepen divisions.
He said the party would have welcomed Deuba at the party office if he had informed them of his intention to visit.
“We would have gone to the airport to welcome him, along with President Gagan Thapa,” Chaudhary said.
He expressed dissatisfaction that Deuba went to a contact office in Chundevi rather than the party headquarters in Sanepa.
According to Chaudhary, the Nepali Congress could have provided Deuba with a dignified office at the party headquarters in his capacity as a former prime minister and former party president. He said Deuba’s recent activities had created the impression that he was seeking to become the leader of only one faction.
“It appears that he is becoming the leader of only one faction. I am concerned that this could create a different chapter in Nepal’s political history,” Chaudhary said.
Nepali Congress Central Working Committee member Chandra Bhandari said the dispute should be viewed primarily through the lens of constitutionalism and institutional procedure.
He recalled that the Constitution was promulgated under Nepali Congress leadership and established separation of powers among the legislature, executive and judiciary.
Bhandari argued that senior political leaders should not themselves challenge constitutional processes.
He referred to the special general convention, recognition by the Election Commission and legal proceedings involving the party, questioning whether it was appropriate to challenge the current institutional arrangement after those processes had already taken place.
Bhandari warned that weakening established procedures could create more serious problems in the future.
“If rules, laws and the Constitution are not respected, what will we do tomorrow if armed people come and surround us?” he asked.
He said the Nepali Congress should serve as a school of democratic political culture rather than allow personal interests and egos to undermine its broader objectives.
“Nepali Congress is not just a political party; it is a school,” Bhandari said. “It is supposed to teach others.”
Thapa had already rejected the proposals
At Monday’s Central Working Committee meeting, Nepali Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa had already said the proposals and decisions endorsed by the Deuba camp could not be recognised as official party policies.
Thapa said the party’s general convention, general assembly, special general convention and election manifesto are among the authorised mechanisms for establishing official Nepali Congress policies and decisions.
“The provisions of our statute clearly define the foundations for establishing the official position of the Nepali Congress,” Thapa said.
He maintained that ideas, reports or decisions presented or endorsed at gatherings outside these authorised forums do not become part of the party’s official policy or statute.
However, Thapa said the party respected the right of its members to gather freely and express their views.
“We respect the right to assemble freely. Our Constitution guarantees it, and it is also part of our party tradition,” he said. “We are open to constructive debate and discussion.”
