The Congress establishment party has already passed a proposal from the Central Working Committee to hold the general convention from April 28 to April 31, 2083, amending the previously scheduled schedule for the regular general convention from December 27 to 29.

General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwaprakash Sharma are preparing to call a special general convention on December 10-12. They are in favor of going to the elections only after changing the party leadership and policy, taking into account the essence of the Gen-G movement. The establishment and Koirala factions, on the other hand, seem ready to go to the elections under the leadership of President Sher Bahadur Deuba. The issue of where the power struggle between these two poles will take the party is of particular interest to Congress leaders and activists. In this context, Kulchandra Neupane had a conversation with General Secretary Gagan Thapa: 

What did you gain and what did you lose while being in the Oli-Deuba coalition?

In the first week of Deuba and Oli forming a coalition, I had said that the government would be supported and criticized based on its merits and demerits. I started helping the government because my support should bring about positive changes in good governance and service delivery. My focus was especially on delivering results on issues such as the constitutional amendment written in the 7-point agreement between the two parties. I took the initiative to create a comfortable business environment, improve the information technology sector, and bring in foreign investment, and I got what I wanted. Up to a point, I tried my best in closed-door discussions to stop the wrongdoings of the coalition government, I succeeded in some things, but not much. After that point, I started speaking from Parliament and public forums to increase pressure to stop the government's wrongdoings.

Looking back now, I feel that even though I continued my political commitment and work style of saying good things are good and bad things are bad, wherever I was in power, the streets, and the opposition, I felt that the common people viewed me as a government official. Looking at it that way, something was lost.

You are now with President Deuba regarding the elections, but on a different side in the general convention, isn't this a contradiction?

After the turmoil of 23 and 24 Bhadra, I realized that the common people wanted Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prachanda, and KP Oli to stay away from politics. I also took that 'position'. The main issue is this. I have nothing personal to say about it. The question of whether the party president will step aside from political responsibilities or not is linked to whether or not to respect the spirit of the Gen-G explosion. We cannot move forward by ignoring and disregarding such public aspirations. What we should not forget is that that is not the character of the Congress party. The Congress has always made decisions by keeping the wishes of the citizens at the center. Am I the only one who said this? The majority of the Congress general convention representatives have submitted signatures to the party office demanding a special general convention before going to the general elections, demanding that the party leadership be changed in a legal manner.

After the party acting president read those signatures at the central office and informed the central working committee meeting about it, it is the property of the party center. According to Article 17 (2) of the party statute, it is the responsibility and duty of the party center to call a special convention within three months. If we had held a regular general convention and elected the party center leadership within that date, the proposal for a special general convention would have been null and void, but we were unable to do so. It is not that the signatures of the 54 percent of the representatives who elected us are more applicable to Gagan Thapa and less applicable to the party president. Since the party president is the highest person who enforces the party's statute, I think he should be more serious.

No one is above the statute. A party is not just a few people in charge, it is the feelings of the common members who are supporters. I represent the public sentiment that the party's leadership should be changed. I am in favor of the common party members, not the president. That is the point, the rest is all details.

The general convention dispute has become so complicated now, how far will it go at this speed? Do you think of putting on the 'brake' after reaching a point? Because you are in the 'driving seat'.

The implication of the signatures of the 54 percent of the representatives is not only the new agenda of the general convention. They have given us their signatures so that the party can change its leadership before the general election and we can go among the people and get more votes in the party's ledger. Even if there is no special general convention, they wanted a new leadership to be elected within that period. But we could not fulfill that. That is why the party center could not violate the issue that the statute has made binding.