Nepal Student Union Demands Operational Autonomy; Congress General Secretary Calls It an Unlawful Step
News Summary
Prepared after editorial review.
- The Nepal Student Union, a sister organization of the Nepali Congress, has demanded operational autonomy and decided it will no longer function as a sister organization.
- Congress General Secretary Gururaj Ghimire has deemed this move inappropriate and stated that such decisions should not be made without party approval.
March 20, Kathmandu – During the Panchayat regime, political parties were banned. Emerging from this challenging period, the Nepali Congress established the Nepal Student Union (NSU) in 1970 BS to advance the democratic movement.
Founded during a political crisis, the NSU played a leading role in the democratic movement and built a distinguished history by leading decisive movements across the country from its inception through the 2006 People’s Movement.
The history of the Nepali Congress’s sister organization, NSU, is closely tied to the struggle for democracy, the development of student movements, and the rise of youth leadership.
However, the NSU, Nepal’s oldest student organization with a history spanning approximately five and a half decades, unexpectedly resolved on Friday to demand operational autonomy and to cease being a sister organization of the Congress.
NSU spokesperson Suraj Sejuwal stated, “The demand made by NSU is for operational autonomy. While functioning as a sister organization, all decisions had to be made under party directives, which hindered an effective student movement. Therefore, the NSU’s empowered Senate meeting passed this resolution.”
NSU President Dujang Sherpa explained that due to the lack of autonomy, it was even challenging to conduct timely general conventions, prompting this decision. “Without party directives, we cannot implement initiatives; from the outside, it might appear that we do not want to hold a convention,” he said. “When we submitted a timetable per Sinha’s guidelines, it wasn’t approved, and there was resistance to amending the constitution. For these reasons, we demand autonomy.”
However, the Nepali Congress has regarded this decision by NSU as inappropriate. According to Congress General Secretary Gururaj Ghimire, the NSU’s Senate does not have the authority to make such a decision.
“This decision is neither rational nor appropriate from any perspective,” he said. “The authority to maintain or dissolve any institution lies with the Nepali Congress. The entire Senate does not have such jurisdiction.”
General Secretary Ghimire emphasized that full rights over sister and affiliated organizations rest with the Congress. “The Congress holds the authority to decide how many sister organizations to have and which to dissolve,” he said.
He clarified that only the party granting sister organization status can designate the NSU as a sister organization or withdraw that status. “Only the granting party can maintain or separate such an institution,” he explained. “This is not a matter to be declared independently. The decision taken by NSU is a disciplinary violation.”
Although individual NSU members may leave the organization, the entire body cannot decide to cease being a sister organization, he clarified. “Institutionally, there is no room for indiscipline,” he said.
“A sister organization is like a child of the party. Just as citizenship is granted based on descent in a family, the relationship between the Nepali Congress and NSU reflects this. Thus, NSU does not have the authority to make such a decision.”
– General Secretary Gururaj Ghimire
The NSU has stated that it remains grounded in the values of the Congress and continues to follow the principles laid out by the late leader B.P. Koirala, affirming that this decision does not signify rejection of the party and its trust, according to spokesperson Sejuwal.
“We are no different from Congress and fully embrace the party’s values,” he said. “The principles advocated by B.P. Koirala will continue to guide us.”
However, General Secretary Ghimire reiterated that since the NSU is considered a child of the Congress, “Just as a human granted citizenship by descent cannot renounce their identity, a sister organization is the party’s child, and decisions on such matters fall under the party’s authority. Therefore, NSU has no right to make such a decision.”
The Congress plans to discuss the NSU Senate’s decision in the upcoming Central Working Committee meeting. This meeting will also conduct an initial review of the resignation of party president Gagan Kumar Thapa and discuss upcoming elections along with the NSU issue.
“This matter will be raised in tomorrow’s meeting. The NSU is a historic institution and serves as the party’s backbone,” said General Secretary Ghimire. “Separating it would render the party’s history incomplete.”
He recalled that the NSU was established to organize university students and select leaders for the democratic movement during the Panchayat era.
“The founding leaders established this institution with the advice of party leaders at that time, and it has played a historic role,” he said. “It cannot be separated from the history of the Congress party.”