HEADLINE NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

NC’s 10th GENERAL CONVENTION
Party begins close-door session, statute amended

BY SUNIL K.C., NARAYAN UPADHYAY

Pokhara, Jan. 20: The 10th General Convention of the Nepali Congress has passed, by an overwhelming majority, the proposed amendments in the party’s statute at its first close door session today.

The most important amendment is the expansion of the Central Working Committee of the party from 31 to 37 with 50 per cent of the CWC members being elected by the General Convention through open and nation-wide voting. The remaining 50 per cent CWC members will be nominated by the party president.

Narahari Acharya, the party’s spokesman said at a press briefing today there are five other major changes in the new constitution of the party. Under the new provision, the terms of the party president and the party’s district president will be restricted to two consecutive terms only and each of the 205 parliamentary constituencies must elect at least one woman as the General Convention delegate.

Similarly, the new constitution has made it compulsory to have at least one dalit (lower caste) representation at every level of the party organisation - from ward to the parliamentary constituency. Similarly, a party coordination committee will be established at each of the five development regions with its coordinator to be nominated by the party’s president from among the CWC members. The member-secretary of the coordination committee will also be nominated by the party president from among the Mahasamiti members.

The sixth change is if one becomes the president of the party’s higher organisation, his/her tenure of presidency at the lower level will automatically be annulled. And also, if one becomes the member of the CWC, the member will no longer remain the member of the party’s district or regional body.

Meanwhile, the spokesman said the Convention has made some suggestions regarding these five amendments and they would be incorporated when the statute is given a final shape.

The four and a half-hour-long morning session was exclusively devoted to party statute and 31 out of 1,478 participants of the convention had taken part in the discussion.

According to Spokesman Acharya, CWC member Shailaja Acharya was the main advocate against the amendments of electing 50 per cent of the CWC members.

Rajendra Mani Lamichhane, a convention delegate from Kaski, said Ms. Acharya was still voicing her opposition till the last moment, but when party president Girija Prasad Koirala put it before the session, the floor endorsed it overwhelmingly by voice vote.

This is the first major amendment in the NC’s present constitution which was formulated at the party’s 7th Convention held in Baishak 25, 2017 B.S. in Kathmandu. There were some minor changes made at the party’s 8th convention at Kalbalgudi in 2048. Again, few changes were made in 2051 Falgun by the Mahasamiti meeting in Pokhara. In 2054, the Nepalgunj Mahasamiti meeting made further changes albeit minor ones.

The afternoon session of the convention today focussed on the party’s policy and programmes presented by the party’s General Secretary Sushil Koirala, the code of conduct and the party’s audit report.

In his report, the party’s General Secretary said NC’s long-term target would be the establishment of a prosperous society based on freedom, justice and equality.

The major objectives in the policy are: poverty eradication, creation of employment opportunities, qualitative and skill-oriented education, use of information technology, communication, health, rural self-reliance, agriculture revolution, utilization of forest, management of water resources, development of energy and tourism, formulation of effective industrial, commercial and taxation policy and empowerment of women.

To attain these objectives, the report has stressed on strengthening the local bodies and decentralisation of power, cooperative movement plans of good-governance, development of culture to respect labour, policy on population and environment and formation of an effective party organisation.

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