The death of former Prime Minister and the Nepali Congress (NC) President Sushil Koirala has left the party in a state of leadership crisis. Koirala, who was expected to run for party presidency again, has left behind a void that will be hard to fill as the party heads towards the 13th General Convention (GC) on March 3-6. John Narayan Parajuli and Kamal Dev Bhattarai spoke to Shekhar Koirala—a medical doctor by training, the eldest among the Koiralas left behind in the party and a member of the NC’s Central Working Committee—about the GC, party dynamics, about his views on the Madhes issues and the leadership aspirations of the Koirala family.

How do you expect the upcoming GC to go?

The demise of the party President Sushil Da right before the convention and the fact that we have a new constitution have definitely changed the context. In a way, the party is lucky to be the first one to be holding its convention after the promulgation of the constitution. This convention could be a turning point for the NC as well as for the country. But of course, there are some concerns. The country has now become a federal democratic republic. It would have been ideal if the party had already internalised the federal aspect in its structure before the convention. This would have given the party an edge over the others.

Now the constitution has been promulgated completing a phase of struggle that goes back at least 70 years. How would the NC review its ideology and guiding principles now?

We have been discussing the policies and the direction the party should be headed in from here on. From Monday (Sunday marks the 13th day of Sushil Koriala’s passing) we will again resume activities related to the convention and a meeting of the Central Working Committee will be held. But the agenda of democratic socialism, which BP Koirala and the party initiated, should not be sidelined. All the democratic countries in the world are also moving towards socialism. If you observe the ongoing presidential campaigns in the US as well, both the Democrats and the Republicans are supporting social security over capitalism. Thus for a country like Nepal, we cannot ignore this agenda. Yes, there is a need to redefine the idea of socialism from what BP had envisioned.  

Is the NC’s party structure ready to implement a federal constitution?

The provinces have already been created and I am from Province 1. So in this convention itself, if we had had the elections in the provinces, it would have allowed us to internalise the federal structure more adequately. Because that did not happen and as there is no space yet at the provincial level, everyone wants to be a Central Committee member now. If we had pushed for provincial elections of the party sooner in line with the federal structure, some of the leaders could have been accommodated at the provincial level.

Some leaders, including me, have a range of views on the federal structure. I personally believe that provinces need to be autonomous but with certain central control. Many senior leaders believe that provinces should have minimum autonomy. But without autonomy, federalism will become meaningless; the constitution itself provides autonomy to the provinces.

Younger leaders in the party have long complained about the senior leaders holding up key positions and there being no room for the younger generation. Will this change in this convention?

To become the party president, one has to pass through various levels so it takes time for the younger generation to come forward. But I believe that the person becoming the president should only get the position for one term. In other positions as well, people should not be allowed to hold office for more than one term. This way everyone will get a chance to move forward and different people will hold office every five years. Since the 1990s, literally the same faces have been dominating the key positions within the party as well as in the ministries. This needs to change.

There is also some lobbying to increase the number of internal party positions, such as adding more positions of general secretary and joint general secretaries. Key positions should be increased with proper rationale, other than to accommodate one’s friends and families.

Who will be the candidate from the establishment faction in the GC?

Ram Chandra Poudel, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Prakash Man Singh and Sujata Koirala have expressed their intention to run. Others might also come forward in the coming days.

The Koirala family has always been viewed as the first family of the NC. After the demise of Sushil Koirala, what will be the family’s role, in the face of a school of thought in the NC that others will also get a shot at party leadership?

I can only speak for myself, not others. We need to work as a pivot for the party. Just because Sushil Da is no longer among us does not mean that we should jump into the fray.

What about your personal ambitions?

Obviously we have ambitions; otherwise we would have not entered politics. But there is a natural process that we need to follow. Even if Sushil Da was alive there would have been a natural process of him or Ram Chadra Poudel or Sher Bahadur Deuba competing for the leadership position.

If you are not competing for the party president, what about other key positions?

I have been travelling around many districts in recent times. Whenever I met friends, they encouraged me. They claimed that I, Shashank and Sujata are the next leaders from the family and that we should move ahead. But I do not get carried away. Obviously it is not that I am not ambitious, but I am not aiming for the leadership position now. Yes, I would like to hold some important position within the party. But let the party decide first. Once the party makes a decision, my actions will follow.

The convention is almost here. Will the Koirala family stick with the establishment faction or is there a possibility of supporting Deuba?

Sher Bahadur Deuba is one of our senior leaders and he has asked for our support. So have other leaders such as Ram Chandra Poudel, Krishna Prasad Sitaula and Prakash Man Singh. This is expected. I have met all the leaders who wish to compete for the leadership position. I have even asked Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ram Chandra Poudel that one should hold the presidency while the other can become the prime ministerial candidate. It would be easier for the party this way. This will also be the real test of individual leaders when they compete without the backing of one faction or another.

As a family we will be standing together no matter who we chose to support. We just want to see the party united. Party well-wishers say that the party has changed. They say that those with money and muscle are more dominant. This worries us too. Someone needs to rein in these wrong traditions.

The Madhes issue has not been resolved yet and the implementation of the constitution is still pending. Will the convention bring some sort of clarity within the NC as to how it views the Madhes issue?

The Madhesi issue has not yet died down and there are different opinions about it in the party. Some have taken a softer stand, while others have taken a hard line approach. We need to take the middle path. It is not that we need to agree to all the demands of the Morcha but the way people in the country have been viewing the Madhesis needs to change. The ongoing struggle is not only for the Madhesis, it is for the Tharus, Janajatis and other marginalised groups, too. The movement is about identity and representation, and the issue of federalism is automatically connected to it.

During my visit to Biratnagar last month, I met many of my Madhesi, Tharu, and Muslim friends. It was interesting to see that everyone has different opinions. But the young professionals aged between 30 to 40 years, such as doctors, engineers and lawyers, are very aggressive. When I met them, I was taken aback by the radical views they were espousing; I warned them that they are being influenced by the secessionists views of CK Raut and others. So my conclusion is that the situation in the Madhes is still very sensitive and that it calls for a proper handling.