HEADLINE NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

Convention ousts Koirala from NC Presidency

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, June 18: The Nepali Congress meeting-turned general convention ousted Girija Prasad Koirala from the party president today.

The Convention also formed a party election committee, headed by Basant Kumar Gurung. He announced the new president would be elected tomorrow.

The meeting unanimously endorsed the no-confidence motion against the party president Koirala presented by ex-MP Hari Nepal. Former lawmakers Krishna Kishore Ghimire, Bidur Paudel, Dhruba Wagle and Mrigendra Prasad Shah supported the proposal.

Nepal, presenting an 8-point charge sheet against Koirala, said that the Convention representatives had no alternative but to oust him from the post of the president as he exhibited anti-national, anti-democratic and anti-socialist behaviour in and outside the party during the last twelve years of democratic exercise in the country.

He said that the office of the NC Central Working Committee refused to register the no-confidence motion against Koirala which was brought as per the article 34 of amended NC statute.

"Girija Prasad Koirala who held the post of the Prime Minister for most of the time after the reinstatement of the multi-party democracy failed to manage the first elected government in a balanced and proportionate manner," stated the no-confidence motion.

The NC faced political disaster as he expelled senior party members showing his authoritarian character, it said.

Nepal said that Koirala had led the party in the direction of division by creating groupism under the influence of limited selfish people in the party.

"Koirala sowed the seed of division and mistrust in the party by defeating NC leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai in the election of 2050 BS in Kathamndu," it stated.

Nepal blamed the septuagenarian leader of being unable to rise above the narrow circle of selfishness even after he was elected to the party president. "He used two MPs of the party to topple the coalition government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba."

He manipulated the image of respected leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai for the political advantage in the elections of 2056 BS but he ousted Bhattarai within nine months. "But he could neither create a national consensus among the parliamentary parties to resolve the problems facing the nation nor was able to mobilise the security agencies to defeat the Maoists."

"Koiarala posed obstacles to Deuba led government in tackling the Maoist problem through dialogue. He undesirably pressured the government to conclude the talks with the Maoists quickly. Most surprisingly, Koirala is now raising the issue of talks with the outlawed Maoists when the security forces are gaining ground in suppressing the Maoist terrorists."

Prime Minister Deuba extended the state of emergency in consultation with Koirala. But he stood against the government move by floating the concept of wider democratic alliance including the main opposition Communist Party of Nepal United Marxist-Leninist, said Nepal. He also criticised Koirala’s comments on the security forces.

Nepal said Koirala exhibited utterly unconstitutional and undemocratic attitude by challenging the prerogative of the Prime Minister and demanding clarification from him for his move to extend the emergency. "He even directed the government to withdraw the proposal of extending the emergency."

"It is the necessity of the time to forge unity among all the political forces to protect the system and values ushered in by the Constitution of 1990. But Koirala has been unable to lead the party efficiently, let alone other parties. He has instead taken action against the activists who differ ideologically."

Nepal said Koirala exceeded opposition in troubling the government when it came up with reform programmes and policies in the favour of the nation and people.

Nepal said that Koirala’s protest against the call for the fresh mandate was undemocratic.

RSS adds, earlier, the first session of the general convention had passed the party’s amended statute. According to the amended NC statute, there is a provision under which the party president can be ousted by a majority of the convention representatives present. The first session of the GC was chaired by NC central member Prakash Man Singh.

After the post of NC president fell vacant, an election committee with Basant Kumar Gurung as convenor and Pradip Kumar Sunuwar and Buddhi Bahadur Katuwal as members was constituted to hold the election for the party president as per the constitution, informed ex-MP Hom Nath Dahal at a press conference organised after the GC.

The election committee will hold the election after publishing the election schedule at 7:00 Wednesday.

Representatives present at the GC numbered 797, Dahal informed.

Earlier, the GC had passed unanimously the proposals including those for annulling the action taken by the party against Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other Nepali Congress members and for giving continuity to the mid-term elections as well as the state of emergency.

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