The national gathering of Nepali Congress (NC) district presidents concluded here in Hetauda on Friday, issuing a 21-point declaration.

Hailing the party’s role in drafting the new constitution through the Constituent Assembly (CA) and its implementation after seven-decade long sacrifice and struggle, the NC district presidents have expressed pride for its political achievement in establishing democratic values in the country. The national gathering of NC presidents has expressed commitment to strengthen, improve and modernize the party organisation.

Calling on the party rank and file to become serious about the recent elections results, the NC district presidents have stressed on the need to put a united face to deal with all the challenges facing the party. The gathering has urged the central working committee to ensure the representation of district presidents while forming the party statute drafting committee. The declaration has hoped that the upcoming Mahasamiti meeting will revise the statute amendment by incorporating the suggestions from district, and province groups.

The gathering has requested for making arrangement for holding national assembly of party district presidents every two years. It has also urged the party central committee to hold assemblies of the party’s sister organisations in time and remove the confusion.

The declaration has heartily urged the party to hold internal discussions for unity, coexistence and cooperation for making the organisation more effective, and implement the party structure mentioned in the statute in letter and spirit.  

Apart from the internal issues, the document has stated that the NC will step up its fight against the “anti-people and authoritarian tendency” of the government.

“The communist government’s interventionist move to prohibit and control the media, statement influencing independence of judiciary, restricting the people’s right to property, unfair terrorization of civil servents, ploy to strip the rights of trade unions, controlling professional social and non-governmental organizations, and growing impunity makes it clear that the current government is heading towards authoritarianism,” read the declaration. The party will stand firmly to defend the established democratic values to ensure press freedom, judicial independence, trade union rights and professional rights.

Saying that the communist government has gifted the people with excessive price rise, the declaration said the government has shown its anti public character by suppressing the peaceful protests staged by students against the price rise.

The document has lashed out at the government for the recently unveiled annual budget and policies and programmes. The declaration has alleged that the budget has made the provincial and local governments very weak thus showing the government’s anti-federalism tendency.

Further, the NC district presidents have warned of resorting to nation-wide agitation if the government doesn’t stop the growing physical attack under government protection and witch-hunt of the leader having different opinion.