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Kathmandu Thursday May 31, 2001 Jestha 18, 2058.
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Koirala tightens grip over
party
Post Report
KATHMANDU, May 30 – With the controversy
over the Lauda Air scandal still swirling around him, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala
has attempted to shore up his position within the governing Nepali Congress (NC),
appointing a slew of loyalists to the party’s highest decision-making body.
The NC announced today that Koirala, who is also
the party president, has appointed close confidante Sushil Koirala as the new Congress
general secretary, the post he previously held. Also appointed to the Central Working
Committee (CWC) were Mrs Lila Koirala and Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola.
All the three appointed office-bearers are
Koirala’s relatives who are also known for their unfailing loyalty to the Prime
Minister. Koirala, meanwhile, also appointed six additional members to the CWC. They are
Kul Prasad Gurung, Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Laxman Prasad Ghimire, Gopal
Raj Pahadi and Binaya Dhoj Chand.
According to the NC’s constitution, the
party president can appoint 18 members to the 37-member CWC. Another 18 members have
already been chosen through elections during the party’s general convention in
Pokhara early this year. The remaining post of the president is also directly elected by
party workers, and Koirala handily trounced his rival Sher Bahadur Deuba to the coveted
post in the same general convention.
The latest appointments give the Prime Minister
a firm grip over the party’s highest decision-making body at a crucial time. The
Lauda Air scandal, which has dogged him for the last several months, has so far failed to
loosen Koirala’s grip over government, and there are indications now that party
dissidents are bracing up for battle inside the party itself. Under such circumstances,
packing the CWC with faithful members is certain to frustrate any attempt that would be
made by the anti-Koirala dissidents.
Meanwhile, Koirala also faces an upcoming battle
in the budget session of parliament, which must be called soon if the government is to
stick to its annual spending plans. But the communist dominated opposition has vowed to
make the session uncomfortable for the Prime Minister, much as they did in the last winter
session.
The underlying issue, again, is Lauda Air. While
the opposition and many within Koirala’s own party have blamed the Prime Minister for
the "corrupt deal," Koirala has denied his involvement, and has refused to step
down as demanded.
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