Deuba In Leadership
Nepali Congress (Democratic) concludes its general convention without proving the need of its existence
By KESHAB POUDEL
After completion of party convention, leaders and workers of Nepali Congress (Democratic) showed that they could as dramatically assimilate into their mother party as they split. Their recently concluded convention indicated that they don't have any different ideology or spirit to challenge their mother party.
Concluded after four days of colorful gathering by electing former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who had initiated the process to get support from western country including the United States to modernize Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) and who is now in prison for unknown crime in Melamchi Project, as the president, NC (D) termed its decision to omit constitutional monarchy from party statute as a revolutionary step.
As the fate of Deuba and Prakash Man Singh, ex minister and son of Ganesh Man Singh, is uncertain as the apex court is yet to decide the constitutionality of Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC), it is certain that NC (D) will remain under the leadership of one or another acting presidents.
Democracy is itself an inclusive system. Nobody understands how the party, which has many doctorate political ideologues with degrees from Indian universities to American universities, agreed to experiment “new democracy of inclusiveness.”
"We have taken some historic decision more progressive than any other democratic parties including Nepali Congress," said Gopal Man Shrestha, acting president of the party. “Our party has also taken some drastic steps to prove our credentials as a genuine democratic party."
Despite their intense pressure and request, founder member of Nepali Congress and former prime minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai did not take part in the convention remaining neutral in the politics of two Nepali Congress.
NC (D) amended its party statute increasing the number of elected members in the party central committee including reservation for more than eight seats to women, Dalits, Janajatis and terai but the new statute has weakened the role of party president in such a way that he cannot take any decision on his own at the time of major political crisis.
"Our president has to consult with the party leaders at the time of taking major decision. We have a bitter experience of making the party president all-powerful," said Shrestha, who is elected to the central committee. "Our clear perception on monarchy and democracy will benefit us."
Similar flags, similar faces and pamphlets with the pasted photographs of ideologues like B.P. Koirala, Ganesh Man Singh and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai at the jamboree of NC (Democrat) convention showed that it did not have any separate identity and ideology to establish as a separate democratic party. Although it took no radical shift compared to mother party Nepali Congress on the issues like constitutional monarchy and democracy, the coverage by media of the convention of former prime minister Deuba's party was intensive. From government media to populist private media, there was wide coverage.
"This party will survive as long as there is a requirement for the politics of extremism. The division of the party will help to pressure both of them to adopt extreme stand to continue present political stalemate," said a senior leader of Nepali Congress. “Otherwise, there is no sense to have a separate parties with similar name and similar ideology."
Attended by all eight senior leaders of present politics and some leaders of India 's political parties, the message of the convention was clear that the politics of Nepal is heading towards extremism.
