NC’s 14th general convention: Priority on leadership than policy

Kathmandu:  The Article 16 (1) of the Nepali Congress statute specifies a provision that the central general convention would determine party’s policy on the issues of short-term or long-term importance.    
Further, the statute has granted authority to the party’s supreme mechanism, the general convention, to take policy decisions on party organization.    
NC spokesperson Biswo Prakash Sharma shared that the party’s general convention this time would be limited on choosing new leadership since our tradition of discussion and decision regarding leadership and policy at once in the same general convention after 2046 BS has overshadowed the seminal task of policy determination.    
It may be noted that the NC central working committee earlier had decided to organize another policy-focused general convention to discuss and decide the policy matters of the party. However, various party leaders have come up with their thoughts and concepts through books and booklets. The leaders and thinkers have presented their party’s future policy and way forward in different crucial agendas.    
This time the general convention would directly enter into the agenda of electing a new leadership without any deliberations on party policy. Nevertheless, general secretary’s organizational, treasurer’s financial and amendment report with decisions made by earlier Mahasamiti meeting would be presented in the general convention, Sharma added.    
Likewise, the statute’s Article 16(2) has specified an arrangement that the central general convention can delegate its right to central Mahasamiti, central working committee and central president. NC is making preparation to conduct next general convention for framing party policies in accordance with the arrangement.    
Article 17 (3) stipulates that central general convention members should submit their proposal to be presented in the central general convention through their districts a month before the central general convention is held. But the general convention members have not submitted their proposals in the stipulated time. Therefore too, separate general convention for policy determination is a must.    
The party has made an arrangement of central policy, research and training academy (CPRTA) in order to develop the policies the party has to adopt in regard to national and international agendas. Party’s 12th general convention had envisioned the setup of this mechanism. In the first tenure, the CPRTA had furnished 39-point policy and programmatic recommendations to the NC-led government. Only 13-points were hardly implemented, shared the then executive director of CPRTA, Madhu Acharya.    
Incumbent executive director of the CPRTA, Prof Puruswottam Dahal said the mechanism has been active in providing inputs to the party on policy affairs.