Kathmandu, March 27
Nepal Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba will not give away the position of the party’s Parliamentary Party chief to his rival, senior NC leader Ramchandra Poudel, according to sources close to Deuba. Through an understanding or through election, Deuba is bent on becoming the NC parliamentary party chief, those close to him say.
Of late, the Poudel camp in the party is laying claim on the Congress PP chief, with Prakashman Singh and Ram Sharan Mahat meeting Deuba and proposing him that Poudel should get the post.
On his part, Deuba said he will discuss the matter with friends. Within the party, though, Deuba is expediting efforts to either reach an understanding or muster majority support for the crucial post in his favour.
A senior leader from Team Deuba told Onlinekhabar: It’s not possible to give away the post of Congress PP chief to Ramchandra Poudel. Either through an understanding or through election, Deuba himself will become the Congress PP chief.
In the run-up to the Congress’ 13th general convention, Deuba had proposed making Poudel the party’s PP chief if Poudel supports him in the race for NC presidency. Organising a press conference, Poudel made a counteroffer to Deuba and went ahead to challenge Deuba for the NC leadership.
After failing to win the NC leadership position in the first round (Deuba was short of 11 votes), Deuba again asked Poudel to accept the post of parliamentary party chief and support him for the party leadership position, but Poudel refused this proposal as well. In the second round, Deuba won the race for NC presidency.
The NC central working committee is holding a meeting in a week and it has formed a panel for holding election for the PP position there and then. But Team Poudel is raising the slogan of ‘one person one position’, insisting that Poudel should be made the Congress PP chief. Poudel should be made the PP chief to send the message that the NC is united.
But Team Deuba is not ready to part with the PP position. A leader said: Poudel paid no heed when we proposed selecting party leadership on the basis of understanding. We proposed Poudel to help us by becoming Congress PP leader and prime minister. Given this, Poudel should not seek NC PP chief’s post. Making Poudel Congress PP chief is impossible.
Still, leaders close to Deuba say he is positive on moving the party ahead by taking all sides into confidence. Team Deuba believes Poudel is seeking to establish himself as leader of a faction in the party if Deuba does not support his aspiration to become Congress PP chief.
Poudel’s preps
In the meantime, Poudel has intensified discussions with an aim to contest the race for Congress PP chief. Poudel on Saturday held discussions with leaders of the party’s policy and training department and some lawmakers at the party office in Sanepa.
During the meeting, Poudel said Sujata Koirala has already supported his bid for Congress PP chief’s position.
Poudel, citing an understanding, told a confidante that Prakashman Singh and Ram Sharan Mahat will also support him.
Poudel told a leader from his camp that managing Krishna Sitaula will be difficult.
Poudel has not been able to hold direct talks with Sitaula, a source said, adding that the two had fallen apart during the 13th general convention.
Sitaula can of course be brought on board by offering him the post of Deputy Prime Minister. In such a scenario, the NC will either have to be a part of the KP Oli government, support formation of a government under UCPN-Maoist Chair Prachanda or form a government under Poudel.
