Deuba camp awaits package deal

REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Dec 5: The Sher Bahadur Deuba faction of the Nepali Congress (NC) is awaiting a proposal from party president Sushil Koirala on a ´package deal´ to end the nomination row, said a senior leader close to Deuba.

CWC members close to Deuba had gathered at the latter´s residence at Budhanilakantha on Friday, a day after the party´s ongoing CWC meeting was put off indefinitely following the row over nomination of Ram Chandra Paudel as vice president and Krishna Prasad Sitaula as general-secretary.

Two senior leaders - Arjun Narsingh KC and K B Gurung - also attended the meeting.

The informal meeting had decided to wait for the proposal from the party president to reach them. “We will wait for the proposal from Koirala to reach us,” said Gopal Man Shrestha, who is close to Deuba. “Only then can we give our own suggestion or put forth our demand for ending the nomination row.

The Deuba faction has demanded proportionate representation in nominations for the party office bearers´ body and the parliamentary party board, the chiefs of various departments within the party and the 20 other CWC members to be nominated by the party president.

The CWC meeting that deliberated for the fifth straight day on Koirala´s
nomination proposal for vice president and general-secretary was put off after CWC members became sharply divided over the matter.

Another party leader close to Deuba said there is no alternative to moving ahead in consensus either by reaching a package deal or rethinking the names proposed for vice president and general-secretary. “Some leaders [of the Koirala faction] are claiming that they put off the meeting for consensus despite having a majority in the CWC,” said the leader. “That is not true. The majority of CWC members are with us.”

Sources said the Koirala side is working on a proposal to be submitted to Deuba for negotiations. However, it is not clear what kind of proposal they are making to the Deuba faction.

Prez must withdraw proposal: Sujata

NC CWC member Sujata Koirala, one of the aspirants for party vice president, said Saturday that President Koirala should withdraw his nomination proposal for vice president and general-secretary.

Talking to media persons at Biratnagar Airport, Sujata Koirala said there is no alternative to bringing in a new nomination proposal as the majority of CWC members rejected the existing proposal during the recently held CWC meeting. She also asked President Koirala to make nominations acceptable to all in the party.

Meanwhile, speaking to media in Itahari, Sujata argued that the party president should nominate her as party vice president as per the word given her on the eve of the party´s 12th general convention.