Fourteen provincial assembly members from Lama's side were not present at the meeting. The gap between them had widened after Lama was removed from the post of Chief Minister by Indra Bahadur Baniya's leadership last July.
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All members of the provincial assembly of former Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama's faction were absent from the meeting organized by the Bagmati Congress Provincial Committee in Nagarkot on Friday and Saturday. Provincial assembly members were also invited to the meeting, which was chaired by Bagmati Province Chief Minister and Congress Bagmati President Indra Bahadur Baniya.
But 14 members of the provincial assembly of Lama's party were not present at the meeting. The distance between them had increased after Lama was removed from the post of Chief Minister by Baniya's leadership last July.
Baniya was elected the leader of the Nepali Congress parliamentary party after removing the then Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama last July. After becoming the party leader, Baniya removed him from the post of Chief Minister. Lama became the leader of the parliamentary party and Chief Minister after the 2079 election. Even then, Baniya and Lama were competing for the position of party leader. After Lama won, he became the party leader and Chief Minister. But last July, Lama was removed from the posts of Chief Minister and party leader. At that time, Baniya received 22 votes and Lama received 14 votes.
There were 37 members of the provincial assembly of the Nepali Congress. They expressed anger that they were forcibly removed from the posts of parliamentary party leader and Chief Minister without due process. 14 provincial assembly members who voted for Lama to be in the parliamentary party were absent from the Nagarkot meeting. The party's provincial committee had called a joint meeting of provincial assembly members, ministers and party district presidents of 13 districts to discuss the development plan in the provincial assembly meeting. Former Chief Minister Lama said that he could not attend the meeting as he had other work to do. 'The provincial assembly members had asked about the meeting. I had said that I did not have time to think about your views. Who went? Who did not go? I do not know,' he said. A lawmaker who attended the meeting said that the Lama faction had boycotted the meeting in a planned manner.
Provincial assembly member Ramkrishna Chitrakar from the Lama faction told Kantipur, 'Not everyone went because there was no consultation and discussion about the meeting.' Congress President of Sindhupalchowk, Jung Bahadur Lama, who also attended the meeting, informed that the provincial assembly members were present in a small number.
Both Lama and Baniya are from the faction of Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba. After being removed from the post of Chief Minister, Lama has now demanded a special general convention in the central committee meeting. He had asked in the meeting, ‘If I can be removed from the post of Chief Minister within 24 hours, why can’t the general convention be held in Mangsir?’ Although Lama demanded a general convention before the parliamentary elections, Baniya has not expressed a clear opinion.
In the Nagarkot meeting, two-thirds of the members and office bearers of the province had said that the general convention, whether special or regular, should be held before the elections. According to an office bearer, out of 55 people who spoke, including the provincial committee and district presidents, 32 said that it should be held before the elections, whether special or regular. 15 people did not raise the issue of a general convention, while 8 people said that the general convention should be held only after the elections. Bhaktapur President Durlav Thapa, Sindhuli President Upendra Pokharel, and Ramechhap President Purna Bahadur Tamang (Kancharam) were of the opinion that the general convention should be held only after the elections. The meeting was attended by delegates from 11 districts, except Rasuwa and Kavre.
Congress Provincial Committee member Kumar Dulal informed that the minutes of the meeting's decisions were not made. According to Dulal, some participants in the meeting had raised the issue of former Chief Minister Lama's absence. Dulal said, "The chairman has said that the minutes will be made later." The participants said that the provincial president and Chief Minister Baniya did not enter into the issue of whether the general convention will be held before or after the elections. One participant said, "Baniiya had said that we should not talk much about it since it is a matter for the general convention center to decide."
