NSP-A on the verge of yet another split

The Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandi Devi) appears to be on the verge of yet another split amid differences between the party leadership and a faction led by vice-chairman and industry minister Shyam Sundar Gupta.

Party chairperson Anandi Devi Singh expelled Gupta from the post of vice-chairman as well as the general membership of the party on Sunday, accusing him of “breaching party’s principles and democratic norms”.

Gupta’s dismissal was a culmination of intra-party feud going on for some time now. Amid rising differences, Gupta recently went on to declare himself as the senior vice-chairman and had been representing the party in the meetings of the top leaders of the seven-party alliance.

Sources claim that the party is all set to Gupta him back from the government and nominate another leader, a move likely to be challenged by the embattled minister.

The NSP-A, a minor ally in the SPA government, had witnessed a vertical split few months earlier with then industry minister Rajendra Mahato announcing a separate party.

Last month, another influential NSP-A leader, Hridayesh Tripathi, had quit the party as well the parliament and joined the Terai-Madhesh Loktantrik Party led by Mahantha Thakur. nepalnews.com mk Jan 13 08