NC, NC-D all set for unification, formal announcement tomorrow
Kantipur Report
KATHMANDU, Sept 24 - After six years, and several attempts over the past few years for unification, the Nepali Congress (NC) and its splinter party NC-D are all set to reunite.
Preparations to this end have been completed and a formal announcement of unification is expected Tuesday.
Nepali Congress-Democratic (NC-D) President Sher Bahadur Deuba Monday said that almost everything except some ‘technical issues’ regarding the unification has been settled and that a formal announcement to this end would be made tomorrow.
Earlier, it was much expected that Prime Minister and NC President Girija Prasad Koirala would make an announcement of the unification today itself.
Owing to some ‘technical issues’ the announcement of unification has bee put off for tomorrow, Deuba said.
Deuba told reporters today that a meeting of the top leaders of the NC and NC-D will be held tomorrow morning to sort out the outstanding ‘technical issues’ and that a joint Maha Samiti meeting would be called tomorrow afternoon to make a formal announcement.
Earlier this morning, Deuba had reached PM’s official residence at Baluwatar to fianlise the party unification.
Task teams of the both Congress parties held discussions at Baluwatar to sort out the issues. The joint task team for unification had submitted its final report yesterday evening and the top leaders agreed to meet Monday and seal unification deal.
After NC President Koirala consented the NC-D proposal for the unification, it was expected that an announcement would come today itself. According to sources, PM Koirala showed flexibility towards the NC-D proposal for unification easing the unification process.
After the unification, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala will be the party president whereas Sushil Koirala will be acting president.
It has been agreed that Gopal Man Shrestha and Prakash Man Singh will be vice president of the united Nepal Congress. Similarly, an agreement has been reached to handover the responsibility of general secretary to Ram Chandra Poudel, Bimalendra Nidhi, KB Gurung and Ram Baran Yadav.
Founder member of the Nepali Congress Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Sher Bahadur Deuba will not be holding any posts in the party but will serve as the senior leaders.
Meanwhile, the NC Maha Samiti meeting -- on its second day – has been postponed to 3 pm today in the wake of unification process. The Maha Samiti meeting began yesterday at NC headquarters Sanepa, Lalitpur.
According NC leader Arjun Nursingh KC, during today’s closed session, the leaders will discuss the unification agenda.
The NC-D leaders yesterday had urged its mother party -- NC -- to put off the Maha Samiti meeting for the sake of party unification.
Today’s session of the Maha Samiti later today will approve the unification proposal and then will be put off.
A joint Maha Samiti meeting will be called tomorrow after the announcement of unification.
"We settled all the issues from our level and there are some issues to be settled by the leaders themselves," said Dr Minendra Rijal, a member in the task team from NC-D.
Koirala had disclosed his intention during NC's CWC meeting Sunday morning. Immediately after conclusion of the Mahasamiti meeting's opening session, Koirala asked the task team members -- Amod Upadhyay, Ram Krishna Tamrakar and Shekhar Koirala -- to go for a meeting with NC-D members and finalize their work by evening.
Earlier, four Nepali Congress (Democratic) leaders on Sunday morning urged Koirala to immediately unite the party, demonstrating maximum flexibility toward the NC-D's stances. Chiranjivi Wagle, Bijay Gachchhedar, Bal Bahadur KC and Narayan Khadka, during their one and half hour meeting with Koirala urged the latter to take immediate initiative for holding a joint meeting of the Mahasamiti.
NC's Mahasamiti kicked off Sunday, while a similar meeting of the NC-D is also scheduled on Tuesday. "We urged Koirala that the leaders should be ready even to prolong the meeting to pave the way for a joint meeting," KC said.
These NC-D leaders also met the party's founding leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai at his residence in Bhaisepati to take immediate initiatives for unification. Bhattarai who is not active in both the parties said he wanted the parties unified immediately, according to KC.
NC-D was formed around in 2002 due to differences between senior leaders following a decision taken by Deuba – then prime minister –to dissolve the then House of Representatives.
Over the past few years, the unification issue has been tossed up a number of times but to be contained in talks only
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