UCPN (M) back to centralized leadership

KIRAN PUN
Bhattarai will pay executive role as CC member
KATHMANDU, July 22: By endorsing the political proposal of Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to adopt the model of leadership centered on the chairman and dissolve the office bearer positions, the UCPN (Maoist) has returned to its former structure after four years.

The party´s plenum that concluded Sunday was unanimous in endorsing the proposal. Following the dissolution of office bearer positions, the erstwhile office bearers will now become central committee members.
Although the authority is centered on chairman under the new model, Dahal has claimed that the new model is about running the party through collective leadership. Top leaders have also said that Dahal will not have the degree of authority that he exercised in the party during the insurgency time.

The plenum decision is also a major departure from what was decided by the party general convention held in Hetauda in February. The general convention had elected only four office bearers including Dahal as chairman, Bhattarai and Narayan Kaji Shrestha as vice-chairmen, and Post Bahadur Bogati as general secretary, and decided to form a 151-member central committee. However only 98-member committee was formed.

After many attempts to give full shape to the party organization, Dahal a few weeks ago had proposed to form a 399-member CC with 9 office bearers, a 17-member standing committee, and a 51-member politburo. But the CC rejected Dahal´s proposal and Bhattarai resigned from the post of vice-chairman his post prompting Dahal to call plenum.

Four years ago, the party had endorsed a collective leadership model nominating Dahal as chairman, Mohan Baidya, Bhattarai and Shrestha as vice-chairmen; Ram Bahadur Thapa as general secretary; and C P Gajurel and Post Bahadur Bogati as secretaries.

Dahal clamed the model is collective leadership

Replying to the questions of participants Sunday, Dahal claimed that the party will be run through collective leadership under the new model. He also said that a secretariat will be formed soon.

"My position does not have authority. It is basically a collective leadership model," said Suk Bahadur Roka Magar, CC member, quoting Dahal. He also informed that a CC meeting has been called for August 27 and it will form a secretariat. According to highly-placed party sources, the same 17 names that were earlier proposed by Dahal for the standing committee will be nominated in the secretariat.

Bhattarai will play executive role as CC member

Although Bhattarai while resigning as vice-chairman had declared that he would not hold executive position anymore, he will now be active as a CC member as per the decision of the plenum. Plenum representatives had termed Bhattarai´s resignation decision as out of context and harmful for the party. "The plenum rejected the Bhattarai´s resignation and he will work as the party CC member," said Roka Magar.

Month-long election campaign

The Maoist party has also decided to hold a month long election campaign to study the party´s hold at the grassroots level. The party has deputed one CC member each in 240 electoral constituencies for the purpose.
from Republica