The Nepali Congress has made public the schedule to hold the general convention within this year. Will the general convention be held on the scheduled date?

The general convention of the Nepali Congress is not likely to be held on the scheduled date because the active member form should have been filled by mid-September, while the active form has not been received in the eight districts of Province 2 yet. Adjustment work is also pending in many districts. So in this case, I don’t think the convention will be held on time. Another thing is that in the current situation, it is very difficult to go from village to village and renew the active members. People have not been able to escape the Corona epidemic. People are walking in a scary environment. In such a case the convention cannot be concluded.

 Haven’t the process started yet?

Of course, we have not even started the convention process. Apart from Province 2, other places like Kathmandu, where the form was initially started. There has also been some progress. However, no active form or renewal form has been received in the eight districts of Province 2 so far.

 How much time should be added now?

There is a provision to extend the term of 6 months if the general convention cannot be held on the scheduled date due to special reasons. This is something that top leaders need to consider. We do not see the possibility of holding a general convention on the scheduled date without extending the time period.

 There are different factions in the Congress, which faction do you belong to?

Which faction should I call myself now? So far, 10 faces have come for the president post. I first belonged to the Koirala faction, then to Sher Bahadur’s faction. I also won the election. Now the election is going to be held again, there are many candidates. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. So far no one was able to send in the perfect solution, which is not strange.

 For the first time in the history of the Nepali Congress, Bimalendra Nidhi saw a leader of Madhesi origin aspiring for the presidency. Is it easy to make him president?

If Bimalendra Nidhi fights for the president post, he will get full support from Province 2. In Province 2, there is almost no one to oppose him because apart from him, there is no one eligible for the post of President in Province 2. But the thing is that it is not possible to win the chairmanship from only two states. For this, the votes of 6 other states should also come. He has said that he will run for office and we have assured that we will also support him. We sit down with the chairpersons of the eight districts of Province 2 and talk to him once. If he fights, we are of the opinion that Sher Bahadur Dai should help him. It will be difficult to win the election unless the friends outside Province 2 support Nidhi.

 Bimalendra Nidhi is Sher Bahadur Deuba’s most trusted character and close person. Does Deuba give Nidhi a chance?

I am currently in Province 2. I have suggested to both Deuba and Nidhi over the phone that one of the two should fight. If Nidhi is the one to fight, then Sher Bahadur Dai has helped him in the past. I have said that he has blessed Nidhi. Eight chairpersons of Province 2 are also taking initiative. After the ban is lifted, we will go to Kathmandu and put the two of them together and ask them to stand up for a chairman and one to help. We want to create that environment.

Madhes is the base of the Congress. For once, why can’t the Congress accept a leader of Madhesi origin as the president?

If Madhes is viewed from that point of view, the Nepali Congress can return to normalcy. Because Madhes is Congress and Congress is Madhes from the very beginning. In the meanwhile, after various agitations, the Madhesi parties have made their place, which no other party can surpass except the Congress. If the Congress still understands the problems of Madhes and moves forward, the Congress can be re-established in Madhes.

 So far, the Congress has only taken votes from Madhes, but not a single Madhesi has been accepted as its leader. Why has the Congress not been able to accept Madhesis yet?

Not only the Congress but all the parties in the country have the same view of Madhes. On the contrary, in the time of BP Babu, when Ganesh Manji, Mahendra Narayan Nidhi and the rest were Idris, Madhes had a different kind of credit. Even now there are Madhesi party leaders, most of whom have left the Congress. Therefore, the Congress should change its attitude towards Madhes. If we do not change our attitude towards Madhes, we will know the results from the last election. Even if Madhes is despised or if we do not understand the problems of Madhes, we will not be able to bring good results. The issue of citizenship was raised by Bimalendra Nidhi and passed by the Central Committee. Why talk about citizenship for seven years after marrying a foreign woman? Our Central Committee has already decided that if we get married today, we should be able to get citizenship from tomorrow. It was led by our fund. If Nidhi is elected president, the position of the Congress in Madhes will definitely be strengthened.

Now let’s talk in a different context. Corona’s havoc in the country is increasing day by day. People’s life is becoming difficult. How do you see this situation?

Scientists from different countries have started making different interpretations about this corona epidemic. Some have called it a medical mafia conspiracy, while others have said the kit provided by China is not appropriate. Because when a person is checked in one place, it is negative and when it is checked in another place on the same day, it is positive. Due to which the people are very confused. Another is that Corona is viewed with contempt in society.

Corona’s terror seems to last for a long time, how to normalize public life?

As the prohibitory order and lockdown has been imposed in some places now, it is no longer an option. If that is imposed, people will die of hunger rather than disease. The risk of corona has also increased due to opening shops in the morning and evening. If the shop is allowed to operate throughout the day, it will not be so crowded and the risk of corona will be less. There is a lot of crowd when the shop opens on time. So now we have to be aware of the prohibition and move towards normalizing public life.