Kathmandu, December 26
The eighth general convention of the CPN-Maoist has started in the capital Kathmandu on
Sunday. The Maoists, who are preparing for the national conference, have made various comments after they decided to turn the conference into a general convention at the last minute.
Some have interpreted the decision as a ploy by President Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s ‘Prachanda’ to secure his term in the party leadership.
After the meeting of the Maoist Central Committee held before the start of the National
Conference decided to convene a General Convention instead of the Conference, the tools and pamphlets were changed.
How did the decision change?
According to UCPN (M) leader Giriraj Mani Pokhrel, at a meeting of the standing committee
convened on Saturday, Chairman Prachanda proposed to transform the conference into a
general convention.
“The chairman and Narayan Kaji Shrestha arrived at the event together. Who brought the matter between them? We thought so,” said Pokharel.
According to him, another reason for the recent transformation of the conference into a
general convention is the state of affairs of the convention due to the preparations made for the conference.
“After all this work, why not change the convention? The convention is supposed to focus on ideas. Now the president is presenting a document. He says it focuses on ideological issues,” he said.
Although there is no substantive difference between the Maoist National Conference and the General Convention, Pokharel says that the decisions made by the conference have to be approved by the General Convention.
“We have to hold a general convention. Now the election is coming. Then we have to go to the general convention. We have to look at that aspect and hold a general convention,” he added.
The Maoists have not held a general convention since 2069 BS. After that, despite the national conference held in Biratnagar in 2071 BS, the general convention could not be held.
Despite the constitutional provision that political parties should convene every five years, there was no obligation to convene a general convention immediately after the unification of the UCPN (M) and the CPN (UML) to form a new party.
But after the UML and UCPN (M) split from the CPN (Maoist) following a Supreme Court order last February, both parties were under legal pressure to convene a general convention.
The Maoist leaders had been saying that even if a new working committee was selected from the conference, there was no constitutional impediment.
Prachanda’s approval strategy?
However, after the unification of the CPN (Maoist) failed, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, a leader who left the UCPN (Maoist) and was elected by the CPN (UML), feared that Prachanda would turn it into a general convention as his leadership would be easily approved by the conference.
“Prachanda has been running this party in a one-sided manner since 2048 BS. “He may have wondered if the convention would be as he said it would be. He may have wondered if there would be representatives in the opposition. So, he called for the convention to be approved.” Rayamajhi alleges that many leaders like him left Prachanda because he did not run the party according to the rules.
“He has held two ceremonial conventions since he was 30 years old. He doesn’t even want to hold a general convention. Even if it is called a general convention, all the ceremonies are done by Taltu,” says Rayamajhi.
But Pokhrel Prachanda, a Maoist center leader, says he did not turn the conference into a
general convention just to get himself approved.
“He (Prachanda) is also the leader of the party. He doesn’t have to do this to get approval in the party,” Pokhrel said.
(Source: BBC Nepali)
By Karuna Thapa
