KATHMANDU, July 21: Nepali Congress (NC) leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala has been making efforts to change the government without the support of party General Secretary Gagan Thapa. Koirala has moved ahead with the plan to replace the leader of the party’s parliamentary group as part of his bid to topple the government. However, central committee members aligned with Thapa say Koirala’s rush to change the power equation is meaningless.
Koirala’s recent activities—ranging from Khumaltar to Bhangaal—are being seen as significant in his attempt to form an alternative alliance within the Congress leadership. On Sunday morning, he held discussions with lawmakers in Baneshwar and later at the Yak & Yeti Hotel in the afternoon. Rajendra Bajagain, a lawmaker who attended the meeting at Yak & Yeti, said Koirala was not specifically aiming to change the government.
However, Koirala-aligned lawmakers have said the agenda to change the leader of the party's parliamentary group is still on the table. Koirala had consulted with lawmakers close to him. Meanwhile, while Koirala was holding consultations, General Secretary Thapa was celebrating a birthday with friends. In the morning, Koirala had discussions with eight lawmakers, including Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Ramnath Adhikari, and held additional talks in the afternoon at Yak & Yeti.
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Koirala reportedly told lawmakers that the performance of the KP Sharma Oli-led government was unsatisfactory. Currently, there are four ministers from the Koirala faction in the Oli-led government. In the parliamentary party elections, it was evident that a united Koirala-Thapa camp could gather at least 31 lawmakers. However, the Koirala camp claims to have the support of 41 lawmakers and is working to bring that number to 50.
Although it may not be easy to remove Sher Bahadur Deuba as the leader of the parliamentary party, Koirala signaled that he is ready to push for leadership change, according to one lawmaker present at the meeting. To become the parliamentary party leader, Koirala needs the support of at least 45 lawmakers. A central member from the Thapa group said that without their support, Koirala’s mission won’t be smooth. “He may have managed to gather a few people, but the journey won’t be easy—the numbers are not in his favor,” said the member.
A NC leader speculated that Koirala might be pushing hard in order to secure more spots for his supporters in the upcoming cabinet reshuffle. On 17 July, Koirala met with CPN (Maoist Center) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal in Khumaltar to discuss forming an alternative alliance. Following this meeting, Dahal instructed his party rank and file to begin a movement to topple the government.
Koirala’s recent political engagements are now being interpreted as an effort to alter the existing power dynamics. The NC Disciplinary Committee has taken action against 18 individuals from the Koirala faction. Since then, Koirala has grown increasingly disgruntled with party president Deuba.
On Sunday evening, Koirala also criticized the government on Facebook. He expressed his objection to an amendment proposed by CPN-UML’s National Assembly members regarding the Federal Civil Service Bill. The UML lawmakers had proposed, among other things, the removal of the cooling-off period. “Everyone must unite to stop UML’s amendment from passing. The cooling-off period must remain, and will remain. No one should be confused about this,” Koirala wrote on Facebook.
