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Kathmandu Tuesday August 08, 2000 Sharawan 24, 2057.
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Trouble brewing in NC
Koirala asked to relinquish
premiership or NC leadership
By Binaj Gurubacharya
KATHMANDU, Aug 7 - Just four months after the change in
premiership, trouble has hit the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) once again with at least five
dozen party lawmakers beginning a signature campaign against Prime Minister Girija Prasad
Koirala.
These rebelling lawmakers have not made public their actual demands
or the number of people they have in their force. However, signatories told The Kathmandu
Post that they want Koirala to either let go of the premiership or the party
presidentship.
Koirala has declined to comply with the demand. Instead he met NC
lawmakers at his official resident at Baluwatar today and told them that he would not step
down.
According to the lawmakers present there, Koirala told them that
there was no need for a signature campaign to change the party president and if they
wanted to oust him from the position of the prime minister, then they could show majority
and only do that through a vote of no-confidence in the parliamentary party.
The party's general convention is scheduled for later this year
that will choose the party president.
Among the people who were present and expressed their views was
Minister for Water Resources Khum Bahadur Khadka who is leading the signature campaign
against Koirala.
"I believe that the same person should not hold two key
positions and that has been my stand from the beginning. The party presidentship should be
passed on to the second generation," Khadka told the gathering.
Koirala had assumed office in March after ousting his long time
friend turned foe Krishna Prasad Bhattarai from office he held since NC won the general
election in May last year.
Members close to Koirala had rebelled against Bhattarai and twice
filed proposals of no-confidence against him at the parliamentary party seeking change in
leadership. These rebels had accused Bhattarai of failing as a leader, maintain peace and
security in the country and control corruption even among the members of the cabinet.
Bhattarai did resign in the second bid but Koirala had to fight an
unexpected battle for the position of the leader of the parliamentary party with former
prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Despite losing the election in voting, Deuba managed to clearly
establish himself as the next on the pipeline to take over the party leadership and the
only challenger to Koirala's grip on power in the party.
The years of tussle between Koirala and Bhattarai suddenly shifted
to prospects of future battle between Koirala and Deuba. Deuba, beside having his own
following, has now the support of Bhattarai's people too, making it even more difficult
for Koirala to maintain his domination in the party.
Though conflicts and controversies are nothing new for the
nations's most prominent party, supporters had expected things to settle down for a while
with Koirala assuming the prime minister's office and Deuba not strong enough at the
moment to topple Koirala.
However, when Koirala took over the office, he appointed many
people from the Bhattarai camp too irking his own supporters who had expressed disgruntle
over the move.
According to sources close to the prime minister, Khadka initiated
the signature campaign against Koirala after he was criticized for his poor performance as
the Minister for Water Resources in the review of the ministries conducted by the prime
minister's office. Khadka instead demanded that he be appointed the Home Minister.
Minister Khadka, however, was not available for comments.
To resolve the situation, Koirala today proposed a reshuffle in the
cabinet to include some people from the rebel camp. Bhattarai has already refused to the
proposal.
Bhattarai is seeking complete dissolution of the Central Working
Committee to be replaced by an ad-hoc committee that for now would choose an acting
president and conduct the party's general convention scheduled for November this year.
Due to the situation in the party, the scheduled cabinet meeting
held every Monday morning was not held today.
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