Congress on the Brink of Split, Deuba’s Role Becomes Decisive

Kathmandu — The Nepali Congress has reached a critical juncture amid a deepening internal crisis. With the party standing on the verge of a split, General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma has put forward a “final proposal” in an effort to forge consensus. The proposal was sent earlier to Acting President Purna Bahadur Khadka and is currently under discussion in the acting president’s office at the party headquarters.

According to sources, the central thrust of Sharma’s proposal is that party President Sher Bahadur Deuba should step down from his post and limit himself to an advisory or guardian-like role. During a meeting held this morning at Deuba’s residence in Maharajgunj, General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Sharma clearly advised Deuba to take a break from active leadership responsibilities.

Following that discussion, Sharma formally submitted the “final proposal” to the establishment faction. “The general secretary’s proposal has reached the acting president and discussions are underway, but it has yet to be decided whether President Deuba will agree or not,” a source said.

There are strong indications that a party split will be almost inevitable if Sharma’s proposal is not reconsidered. The proposal includes demands that the acting president’s signature be made mandatory in the distribution of tickets for the House of Representatives elections, that President Deuba refrain from contesting in the upcoming elections, and that the decisions taken by the special general convention held at Bhrikutimandap be fully recognized and implemented.

At the meeting at his residence, President Deuba stated that he would automatically step aside from party leadership after the 15th General Convention scheduled for coming Baisakh, urging party leaders to remain patient until then. While the establishment faction has shown some flexibility, supporters of the special general convention claim that there has been no agreement on Deuba’s immediate resignation.

After four to five rounds of talks failed to yield a breakthrough, the special general convention has already moved forward into the election process. This has clearly signaled that the dispute within the Nepali Congress has now reached a decisive and critical phase.