UCPN-M decision draws flak

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: The decision of three top leaders of the Unified CPN-Maoist, who have been leading their respective factions in the party, to pick the names of the cadres of their coterie in the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) has drawn severe criticism.

Sources claimed that the cadres of Baburam Bhattarai had expressed dissatisfaction over the selection process through various means of communication. “We have given our whole life to you but that all went in vain,” one of the cadres expressed his frustrations to Bhattarai.

A large number of cadres have become frustrated after knowing the names in the list of NCOC. They have claimed that the leadership ignored those who have become party whole timers long ago but have embraced the opportunists and those who were in their coterie.

Some 11 leaders of Bhojpura State Committee including Rautahat district in-charge Devendra Patel, Bara district in-charge Hari Chaulagain ‘Lalkiran’, former MP Satya Narayan Bhagat, former minister

Jwala Kumari Sah and Uddhab Pokhrel were preparing to quit the party by organising a press conference at Birgunj.

Leaders must have been aware about the frustration while selecting a secretary of a district instead of its in-charge.

Anyone can feel the frustrations of Amar Mandal- the in-charge of Saptari when his secretary Asarfi Sada has been elevated to NCOC member.

Even the joint in-charges of Mahottari and Dhanusha Tulsi Dhungana and Asarfi Yadav have been selected respectively.

The Madhesi leaders have been demanding the leadership to elevate Raju Harijan of Nawalparasi, Chinak Kurmi of Nawalparasi, Paramananda Barma of Banke, Binod Upadhyay of Rupandehi and Aktar Hussain in the NCOC.

Following the news reports regarding that the cadres have been preparing to quit, Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai had summoned Madhesi leaders Pravu Sah and Ram Kumar Sharma and had assured them to fulfill their demands and therefore stop the press conferences being organised at different state committees of Madhes.

A large number of cadres had organised a gathering at Kochila State Committee and has vehemently criticised the party’s list of NCOC members.

Madheshi leaders have said that the 19 members out of 251 strong NCOC counts to be only seven per cent which is very low and have demanded proportional representation.

All the in-charges of the Dahal’s panel including Rautahat in-charge Ashok Jaiswal, Bara in-charge Jayaram Dahal and Parsa in-charge Chhatra Bahadur Shrestha were selected but the in-charges of Bhattarai’s panel including Rautahat in-charge Devendra Patel, Bara in-charge Hari Chaulagain and

Parsa in-charge Yogendra Sah were not selected.