The Nepali Congress has launched an active membership renewal campaign across the country targeting the upcoming 15th general convention. The campaign, which began on April 1, will run until June 21. A dispute has erupted within the party between the establishment and other parties over this issue.

The establishment party has been opposing the renewal again, saying that the memberships renewed during the tenure of Gagan Thapa and Bishwaprakash Sharma as General Secretaries should be kept intact. About 550,000 memberships were renewed at that time.

The other party, especially the Sher Bahadur Deuba group, has demanded an immediate halt to the renewal. They argue that this has raised questions about the credibility of the 15th General Convention.

Another leader Shekhar Koirala has also issued a statement saying that the renewal should not be made mandatory.

Amidst this controversy, a conversation was held with General Secretary Pradeep Poudel, who is also the coordinator of the membership renewal campaign, about the need, objectives and process of renewal:

Why was it necessary to renew the memberships that had already been renewed again?

It was asked to renew from April 1 to mid-April. After it was not completed, the time was extended until the third week of June.

There is a provision in the statute that a candidate can recommend action for non-cooperation in the election. However, despite allegations of interference in many places, it was difficult to prove it. In some places, no votes were cast according to the number of active members.

For example, in Jhapa-5, there were 7900 active members, but only 1800 votes were cast. In Saptari-2, there were 7100 members, but 4200 votes were cast. The same situation was seen in many wards.

Since it was not possible to prove who did not vote or did not cooperate, it was decided to take a pledge from the members again. If all the active members had voted, the vote would not have been so low.

Who will be updated?

Only those who are already members will be updated. During the preparation for the 15th general convention, about 5 lakh memberships were renewed. In addition, there are about 1.5 lakh members who have been entered into the system as new members. Currently, about 650,000 members are being updated.

Is it not giving new membership?

No. The process of giving new membership is different. Currently, only old members are being re-certified and taken for commitment.

What is re-commitment?

During the update, members have to fill out a form. It states the commitment that ‘I will actively participate in the Nepali Congress campaign, vote in the elections and will not engage in activities that will weaken the party.’

Along with this, details such as name, address, telephone number, social media ID, family voter number, citizenship number, national identity card number, voter number, qualification, contribution to political movements have to be kept.

The signature of the chairman at any level is not required. The member has to sign it himself.

Why was the update done despite the opposition?

The party currently does not have a systematic digital statement. Out of 1 million memberships, only about 1.5 million have telephone numbers. Many of those numbers are duplicated or incomplete. There are no social media details.

If members can be connected digitally, it will be easier to exchange party information. With the increasing influence of digital media in politics, the aim is that Congress should also be digitized.

Another important aspect is the preservation of history. There are leaders within the party who have spent a long time in prison, from hijacking a plane. Their contributions have been documented and preserved. It is not an attempt to erase history, but to preserve it.

Some say that an attempt is being made to give Congress IDs by removing active memberships, right?

The ID will come in the name of the active member. No new membership has been created.

Only old memberships are verified through OTP. The verification system does not accept new individuals. The ward chairman enters the details given by the member and then an OTP is sent to the mobile phone of the concerned member.

You are accused of trying to unilaterally seize the membership, right?

The ward chairman was elected from the 14th general convention, from which Sher Bahadur Deuba became the president. The current leadership did not create a new structure.

If it is said that there is no trust in the ward chairman, then it should be said openly. Now, for the first time in history, the ward chairman has been given such a big responsibility, because he knows the members. It is known who is honest and who is in another party.

Why did he have to go to the ward?

The work of the party is carried out through campaigns.

When BP Koirala called for an armed revolution, the cadres took up arms. He went to jail during the Satyagraha of 2042 BS. Now the party has asked to renew the membership with more details. It is neither as difficult as going to jail, nor as risky.

Whoever becomes a member also becomes more responsible. His access and participation in the party's activities increases.

Along with membership renewal, an attempt has been made to raise the morale of the workers by involving them in social activities. The aim is also to make the workers active again after losing the election.

If the other side is suspicious, shouldn't the same work be done after the general convention?

It can be made compulsory to do it before the general convention. Since they will not be able to participate in the general convention without renewing, members become active. Doing it later creates a mindset of 'do it or don't do it'.