HETAUDA, Feb 3: The seventh general convention of the ruling Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) kicked off in Hetauda on Saturday. This is the party´s first general convention after 21 years.
Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurated the convention at Hupra Chaur in Hetauda. The general convention will elect new leadership of the party and debate on Dahal´s proposal that calls for “capitalist revolution to create the foundation of socialism”.
In 1992, the party general convention had endorsed the political line of ´people´s war´. It would mark the party´s formal entry into parliamentary politics after Dahal´s political proposal gets endorsed in the convention. The party during the Chunbang meeting in 2005 had already decided to accept multiparty system ,which the party then described as ´democracy of the 21st century´.
Addressing the opening session, Dahal claimed the general convention would devise a “new formula” to end the current political and constitutional deadlock.
“The general convention will develop a new formula that would be acceptable to both the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML,” said Dahal. He also said that the new consensus government would be led by a neutral prime minister.
Addressing the convention, party vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai, who also the prime minister, said the convention would reelect Dahal as the party chief.
Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha, who also the deputy prime minister, claimed the Maoist parties would unite after the general convention.
Nepali Congress and CPN-UML leaders, speaking during the opening session of the convention, expressed their best wishes to the Maoists for the general convention, and hailed Dahal´s document that proposes the party´s formal entry into parliamentary politics.
“I am hopeful the new political line would help the Maoists move ahead in the democratic manner and help consolidate democracy in Nepal,” said NC Vice-president Ram Chandra Paudel.
Similarly, CPN (UML) Vice-chairman Bam Dev Gautam also hailed political line proposed by Dahal. “I hope the new political line would provide a solution to the current political and constitutional deadlock,” said Gautam.
Leaders Hridesh Tripathi, Rajendra Mahato, Surya Bahadur Thapa and Pashupati Shamsher Rana also addressed the opening session of the general convention.
Earlier, Maoist cadres had taken out processions from different places in Hetauda before converging at Hupra Chaur. Altogether 3,500 cadres, including volunteers, are participating in the convention. The closed session of the convention will be held at the textile industry hall. The five-day convention will conclude on Wednesday.
Civil society leaders Padma Ratna Tuladhar, Damannath Dhungana and Sundar Mani Dixit also were invited to the general convention.
Chinese ambassador and representatives of leftist parties from various countries also participated in the opening session of the UCPN (Maoist) general convention.
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