The debate, termed indecent by other NC leaders, began after Poudel questioned Sujata´s promotion without the party´s approval and debate on the overall performance of NC ministers led by Sujata in the coalition government, according to leaders who attended the meeting held at party headquarters at Sanepa, Lalitpur.
- “Who are you to question my appointment? Don´t you remember that you were appointed vice president by the party president without consulting the CWC?” - Sujata to Ram Chandra
- "You shut up and show me respect" - Ram Chandra to Sujata
- “My father, mother and myself have contributed a lot to the party. And many other families have also done so. What would these families say of this appointment?” - Prakash Man to Sujata
At the climax of the debate, Sujata rose out of her seat in a fury with her index finger pointing at Poudel and moved toward the latter, who was sitting at the front of the meeting hall with Acting NC President Sushil Koirala. It was as if she was going to beat up Poudel. Health Minister Uma Kant Chaudhary, seated beside Sujata, had to stop her from getting closer to Poudel.
“You cannot lead the party this way,” she told Poudel furiously. “We are in the government with the party´s approval.”
Poudel ordered her to shut up and show him some respect. Then again it was Sujata´s turn to yell at Poudel: “Who are you to question my appointment? Don´t you remember that you were appointed vice president by the party president without consulting the CWC.”
Her point was that she was promoted to deputy prime minister after it was decided by NC President Girja Prasad Koirala, Sujata´s father, much in the way Poudel was appointed vice president of the party by the senior Koirala.
All these goings-ons inside the meeting hall were visible through a window of the party building, which is still under construction. Journalists were not allowed to watch the entire episode.
As the debate continued, Sujata banged the table and challenged Poudel and other leaders who questioned her promotion to show their strength at the upcoming NC General Convention scheduled for the third week of February. It is learned that she is going to contest the post of party general secretary.
As she came out of the meeting, Sujata accused Poudel of attacking ministers led by her in the government and encouraging groupism in the party. “What did he do when he [Poudel] was in government for 18 years?” she questioned, her voice sounding hoarse.
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At the meeting, Poudel vehemently demanded that the meeting take a decision on Sujata´s promotion, accusing Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal of undermining parliamentary values and norms in appointing the 54-year-old daughter of Koirala as deputy prime minister without obtaining the NC party´s approval.
Vice President Prakash Man Singh also lambasted Sujata´s appointment. “Who holds the party´s authority - is it the CWC, the party president, the acting president or just one individual?” he was heard saying to the meeting.
He said the appointment by and personal decision of the party president cannot improve the party´s present weak position. “My father, mother and myself have contributed a lot to the party. And many other families have also done so. What would these families say of this appointment?” Singh said out aloud. Singh is the son of the late supreme leader of the party Ganesh Man Singh and his mother Mangala Devi Singh was also a senior NC leader.
Poudel and Singh asked the meeting to take a decision but it did not. Acting President Koirala said that the issue would be discussed at a meeting to be attended by NC President Koirala who flew to his hometown Biratnagar Wednesday. Sujata was supposed to accompany her father but did not because of the nearly six-hour -long CWC meeting.
“I wanted the CWC to take a decision on this issue this very day [Wednesday] as issues like this should be settled without any delay. The more this issue remains unsettled, the more it will harm the party,” Poudel told journalists while emerging from the meeting.
At the very outset of the meeting in the afternoon, CWC members Arjun Narsingh KC, Narahari Acharya and Govinda Raj Joshi had sought clarifications from the party leadership on the appointment of Sujata as deputy prime minister. But the issue was discussed only in the later part of the meeting as the CWC had to take some pressing decisions regarding the upcoming Mahasamiti meeting scheduled for early November. As a result, many CWC leaders could not take part in the discussion on the Sujata issue.
“The party has now taken the Sujata issue seriously and other members will get their turn to speak on it before the CWC takes any decision,” CWC member Purna Bahadur Khadka told myrepublica.com.
kiran@myrepublica.com
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