Valley
All eyes on Deuba as CWC meets shortly
Following intense pressure from within, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has called a meeting of the party’s Central Working Committee next week to discuss the government’s performance, constitution amendment and local body restructuring before holding the polls.Sarin Ghimire
Following intense pressure from within, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has called a meeting of the party’s Central Working Committee next week to discuss the government’s performance, constitution amendment and local body restructuring before holding the polls.
The meeting of the major coalition partner and the largest party in Parliament to be held on October 20 in Sanepa is seen as a testing time for the party president especially when several leaders including Ram Chandra Poudel and Prakash Man Singh have publicly voiced their dissatisfaction at Deuba for not involving them in decision-making. Leaders from the Poudel faction in particular have accused Deuba of taking crucial decisions unilaterally.
Some leaders have claimed that the NC is turning a blind eye to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s alleged plans to distribute billions of rupees to CPN (Maoist Centre) cadres through the Peace and Reconstruction Ministry in the name of relief to the conflict victims. NC Treasurer Sita Devi Yadav holds the portfolio.
Other leaders have rued the party’s inability to explain the rationale behind using Ilakas (unit areas) as the basis for restructuring the local bodies. When the Local Level Restructuring Commission had earlier tentatively proposed 565 local units across the country, the NC had in particular urged the LLRC to carve out at least 1000 units.
A recent agreement between the Maoist Centre, the NC and the CPN-UML to consider the boundaries of the existing 925 Ilakas has compelled the commission to start all over again, raising questions whether the body will be able to submit its report by November for the Election Commission to hold the local polls around March-April next year.
Agendas
- Government’s performance
- Basis for constitution amendment
- Local body restructuring
Though several NC leaders have publicly expressed their views on a compromise for amending the constitution as demanded by the Madhesi and Janajati forces, the party’s official stance has not been clear.
“Since we have not sat together in a while to discuss some of these very crucial political agendas, our president has called the meeting to hear our views,” said NC leader Gyanendra Karki.