Kathmandu, September 18
Former acting president of the Nepali Congress Purna Bahadur Khadka has urged party president Gagan Kumar Thapa to postpone the party’s 15th General Convention and immediately begin dialogue with former president Sher Bahadur Deuba and senior leaders to prevent a split in the party.
Khadka made the appeal in a Facebook post on Thursday, saying there is still a possibility of preserving party unity.
He urged Thapa to suspend the schedule for the 15th General Convention, which has been announced to begin from September 19, and postpone it for some time.
“Postpone the schedule of the 15th General Convention announced to begin from September 19 for some time,” Khadka wrote.
He also called on Thapa to take the initiative to begin talks with Deuba and other senior leaders.
“On the strong foundation of the decision you have taken in the party today, immediately initiate dialogue with respected senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, who was elected president by the 14th General Convention, and other senior leaders,” he said.
Khadka said he remained confident that the party could still be kept united.
“I am confident that complete unity of the party is still possible,” he wrote.
‘Two separate conventions could lead to party split’
Khadka warned that if the two separate convention processes are not stopped, the division of the Nepali Congress could become unavoidable.
“If the two separate conventions are not stopped, no one will be able to prevent the division of the Nepali Congress,” he wrote.
He also expressed concern that a split in the Congress could be followed by divisions in other major political parties.
“My inner conscience tells me that within a few months of the Congress party’s division, the CPN-UML, the Nepali Communist Party and other parties, particularly those that played an important role in constitution-making, will also split or be made to split,” Khadka said.
Khadka asks Thapa to reconsider decision
Khadka urged Thapa to seriously reflect on the decisions he has taken.
Referring to a conversation between the two leaders on May 4, Khadka said that if Thapa had taken the decision he has now taken immediately after that discussion, the entire Congress could have stood united under his leadership at the party’s central office in Sanepa by the first week of May.
“You should seriously self-reflect and think about it once again. Time is powerful. Take a firm resolve again,” he wrote.
Khadka said such a move could have generated enthusiasm, confidence and energy among Congress leaders, members and supporters across Nepal and abroad.
He also urged Thapa to take an immediate and courageous decision to preserve party unity.
“Gaganji, I say this with confidence: the law, court decisions or the party statute will not create any problem or difficulty for you. Be assured,” Khadka wrote.
He asked Thapa to deeply review the advice he had received and developments within the party and take a decisive step.
“Become the president of the entire Nepali Congress,” he urged.
Khadka also said he was ready to make any sacrifice to support the effort to preserve party unity, saying he was free of personal ambition.
Warns of wider conflict
Khadka also expressed concern about the possible consequences of a political crisis in the country.
He said his “inner conscience” was telling him that Nepal could face an “unimaginable” conflict along ethnic, regional and religious lines.
He warned that the country could move towards a cycle of severe conflict that could overshadow the events of September 9, 2025.
Khadka questioned what such a situation would mean for Nepal’s national unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty and national pride.
He concluded by urging Thapa to take an immediate, decisive and courageous step to prevent the division of the Nepali Congress and preserve the party’s unity.
