The meeting of the Central Working Committee of the Nepali Congress, which began on September 28, has been indecisive over the issue of whether to hold the 15th General Convention of the Nepali Congress before or after the elections. Most leaders of other parties, including General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwaprakash Sharma, are of the opinion that the elections cannot be held without changing the party's policy and leadership. However, leaders of the establishment party are proposing a schedule for the general convention in the coming month of Baisakh, saying that preparations for the elections cannot be made while the general convention is underway.

In this double tug-of-war, the Congress is caught in a whirlwind of internal disputes. What exactly is the matter? An edited excerpt from a conversation between former Congress office bearer and establishment party leader Bimalendra Nidhi and Kantipur's Kulchandra Neupane :

There is an allegation that you prevented the General Secretary from bringing the agenda for the party's 15th General Convention, what do you say?

General Secretary Gagan Thapa has said that he will bring the agenda for Mangsir/Push no matter what. We do not propose that consensus, but individuals propose it, so our establishment party will also propose an agenda to hold the General Convention in the month of Baisakh. Let's submit both proposals. They say that we should accept whatever the Central Working Committee decides, but they do not accept it. They have said that only we should go. Where does this happen in a democracy?

Leaders from both sides say that you are the main reason for making the Congress a prisoner of indecision. Is it true as they say?

Yes, why should we only accept the words of the General Secretary? There is no hiding in this. It is not about letting one party take over the entire party. The party has not adopted the tendency to post information like in the Nepali Sangh. Our only concern is not to disrupt the election. For that, we should not hold a general convention before the election. You have not told us. But I hear that we cannot go to the election with this leadership outside. Who is this leadership? Sher Bahadur Deuba, Purna Bahadur Khadka or Gagan Thapa? Sher Bahadurji has left. He has given an acting leader instead of returning to active politics. In a way, the leadership has been handed over. Therefore, the main agenda of the Congress should now be elections.

Even when the constitution was promulgated in 2072 BS, we had pushed the party's general convention back. Similarly, this time too, we should move forward by keeping the election of the House of Representatives as the top priority. Therefore, the party should first make a formal decision to participate in the elections. There is no restriction on going to the elections. Let's first decide on the agreed-upon issues. Because the Congress has not yet been able to say that we will participate in the elections. The schedule for submitting the closed list of proportional candidates in the upcoming Poush has already come. Where will the names of the closed list be brought from? It is not possible to pull them directly from the laptop. The names should come from below in accordance with the process. First, what is its schedule? Isn't this more important schedule in front of the nation now than the general convention?

In the schedule for holding the general convention in Mangsir/Pus, if the founding party is not ready, the general secretary will present it unilaterally, right? What will you do if that happens?

If the general secretary presents it unilaterally, not by consensus, another proposal will come from us to counter it. It is not a matter of presenting a proposal from the general secretary and not allowing others to do so. After there is no consensus, we have also said that if the general secretary presents a single proposal, we will also bring a proposal. Let us present both proposals to the central working committee and go according to whatever the central working committee decides. This is the democratic process.

Why is the Congress becoming a prisoner of indecision even on the issue of holding a party's general convention?

The two general secretaries of the Congress have made the party a prisoner of indecision. There is no dispute in the party regarding the elections. We have become suspicious of some office bearers after they refused to decide on the election issue first, as it is a matter of concern to the people and the country. Aren't they trying to spread confusion by saying that they have made the party a prisoner of indecision in order not to participate in the election?

The situation before and after Bhadra 24 is not the same. Even after the Genji movement, the Congress has also been accused of not being ready to reform, right?

No one disagrees with giving active membership and tickets to the Genji generation. Will it be reformed if they hand over the party to them? We have been reformed, we want to be reformed. We have more experience than them. We have also come this far through politics. To be reformed means to be able to move through a regular and political process. For now, for parties to be reformed means participating in representative elections and increasing the representation of the Genji generation in politics.

The task is to open the door for the Genji generation to enter the party. Let us prepare for that. The regional committee selects the candidates. In which constituencies out of 165 constituencies can the Genji generation win the election? In which constituencies is there a possibility of the Genji generation? Let us start preparing for that. I will give tickets accordingly. The first thing to bring it back on track is to bring the House of Representatives back on track. For that, we need to go to the elections. We need to work on bringing the damaged constitution back on track. For that, participating in the House of Representatives, fielding candidates according to the sentiments of the Genji generation, women Dalits and the people, and winning them is the only way for the Congress to be true.

Does that mean the general convention schedule will not come before the elections?

We do not want it before the elections. The term of the Central Working Committee should be extended after Mangsir. The term for the general convention should also be extended in Pus. However, in the current situation, to bring the constitution and politics that have gone off track, the House of Representatives must first be brought back into line. To bring it back, all parties must participate in the elections. Time cannot be given to the general convention before the elections. If we put the bread in the pan while cooking at home and pay attention to the end, the bread will burn. Therefore, our only focus should be the elections at this time. Even in normal circumstances, it takes time to prepare for the elections. Therefore, the election issue is a priority rather than the party's general convention. What the general secretaries are doing now is short-sighted and immature. We are not in favor of the consequences it will bring.

If we do not hold the general convention before the elections, will it be a forced situation to call a special general convention?

We are also ready to hold a special general convention. However, now they have talked about a regular general convention. Even though the special general convention has been discussed publicly, that issue has not come up in internal discussions. We are ready to hold a regular general convention. It is a matter of free time. They say in Poush, we are saying in Baisakh. Our issue is how to hold a general convention in advance when the party will be using all its strength in the elections.

If the term of the Central Working Committee is extended and the general convention is held in Baisakh, is there a mandatory situation to call a special general convention for three months, i.e. by Poush 27, as per the provisions of the constitution?