The Nepali Congress has been in a state of indecision for a long time due to the obstruction of some former party officials on the issue of holding a general convention as per the provisions of the constitution.

Even after all the office bearers and members expressed their views on Kartik 27, the Congress has not been able to decide on the general convention. The meeting has been postponed three times in the name of consensus and has been postponed again to Saturday. What should be done to untie this knot of controversy that is getting tighter within the Congress? An edited excerpt of a conversation between Kantipur's Kulchandra Neupane and former ambassador to India and former minister Deepkumar Upadhyay: How do you view this indecision within the Congress? This situation within the Congress has become a matter of shame for all of us Nepalis who are interested in policy-making and politics. There is no way to avoid this situation as normal. If there is any problem, it will be solved. But we should have the ability to analyze the problem correctly. The Congress leaders at the leadership level have not been able to show that ability. In your opinion, is it appropriate to hold the Congress general convention before or after the elections? When the country was in such a crisis, the leaders should have shown willpower and gone on the path of the general convention by now. We should not even imagine a Congress without a general convention. This is a fatal thing. We have not been able to understand it so far. I have repeatedly said clearly, we all failed in diplomatic matters. I am saying this by uniting the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML, and whoever came to power – we also failed in matters of national security. There is no point in blaming each other. We also failed in economic matters. The country has become so troubled by continuous failures that a small anger and frustration came out and we all felt like falling off a cliff. However, it seems that some leaders of the Congress still have not accepted the Genji movement of Bhadra 23-24. They are taking a stand within the party as if this movement is nothing. How do you view it? Yes, the Genji movement is viewed at the leadership level as if the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening. This is extremely wrong and dangerous. The Genji movement did not happen only in Nepal. Such upheavals are happening all over the world and are increasing. Therefore, such incidents will repeat until the leaders correct themselves and improve. The Congress should move forward to address the issues raised by the Genji youth movement. They are our sons and grandsons, our family members. Those who took to the streets in the violent incident of 23-24 are not people from abroad, they are children of our society. If Congress leaders do not understand this and take the path of correcting themselves and the party, the Congress is likely to be in a crisis.

• What should the Congress do to find a way out of the current indecision?

At least, it should hold a convention before the elections. The leadership should be elected through a democratic process. Let's open active membership. In the digital age, if there is willpower, many things are possible. There is no dispute with opening membership. If a serious illness occurs in the body, surgery is necessary. If we sit and think about what to do now without surgery, an accident will occur. My request is that all those in decision-making positions should put national interest at the center, not personal interest. Right now, everyone is trying to impose their own point of view by putting personal interest first. It is understood that the nation is in crisis. If the voice of the people is not heard, more accidents can occur. I do not want this to happen, it must be avoided.

• Is it because some leaders are worried about whether they will have to retire while holding the general convention?

If you want, then compete. Fight in the party elections, fight in the constituency. The people will win if they want. I am not in favor of banning anyone. But the Congress cannot be transformed by obstructing the process. The Congress must be freed from the mentality of thinking that the incident of Bhadra 23 and 24 was a 'natural storm that came and went, it ended'. If it is not freed, not only the Congress, but the entire nation will be in a big crisis.

• Is there any external power playing a role in making the issue of the general convention so complicated?

There is nothing more to it than external power except the personal interests of the leaders. However, internationally, the most credible and relevant party is still the Congress. But we failed to understand geopolitical changes, failed to conduct diplomacy well, failed to conduct economic policy, and certainly did not pay any attention to national security policy.

• Neighbors are also interested in who will be the president of the Congress. Is the same interest at work in this dispute this time?

No. Right now, neighbors are not interested in who will be the president of the Congress. The Congress should select the leadership through a statutory, healthy process and go to the election. If it does not show that willpower, nature itself will remove the obstacles. Even today, the Congress is the first party. However, in the meantime, this party was made so weak that it was made to look like it could not survive without the crutches of the left. Not even a voice could be raised that the Congress should lead the government itself. This is not the weakness of the president alone, his friends around him should also take responsibility for it. Time waits for no one.

• The country has reached a very sensitive stage. Realizing that we are all responsible, leaders should now move in the direction of reform and improvement, understanding the impact of time without delay. If the party is kept in the center by keeping its own interests at the center and keeping it indecisive, it cannot be said that the incident of the 23rd will not be repeated.

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