Baburam Bhattarai, national convention high on agenda
KATHMANDU, JUL 19 -
The resignation of Baburam Bhattarai as vice-chairman and calling the party’s national convention to settle the organisational structure row are likely to dominate the extended plenum of the UCPN (Maoist) that begins on Friday in the Capital.
The meeting of the 500-member extended plenum was called after Bhattarai stepped down on June 30 to ‘build a culture of sacrifice inside the party and promote the new generation’. The party is also yet to settle the longstanding issue of appointments of office bearers and Standing Committee, Politburo and Central Committee members.
Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal is likely to present three options in the plenum to settle the row concerning Bhattarai’s accommodation in the party. The first option is urging him to withdraw his resignation, which seems virtually impossible because Bhattarai is firm on his decision. The second is conferring on him the position of a senior leader and keeping him in the office bearers’ team.
Bhattarai has hinted that he will accept this position if his role will be a ceremonial one. Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha has, however, said in a meeting that Bhattarai has backtracked on his willingness to take up the senior leader position.
As the third alternative, Dahal may propose keeping only the post of the chairman, while making all the other top leaders as Central Committee members, on which Bhattarai also agrees. According to this proposal, the party will dissolve the office bearers’ group, the Standing Committee and Politburo and keep only two positions—party chairman and central committee members. “This is a ploy to sideline us from the party’s top position,” a leader close to Shrestha said.
Leaders say that the plenum will settle only Bhattarai’s case, while it will allocate responsibilities to party leaders by targeting the CA elections.
“The national convention that will take place after the elections will settle the other issues,” leader Gopal Kirati said.
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