June 19, 2002	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 7, 1423

KATHMANDU, June 18: The ruling Nepali Congress party split on Tuesday when supporters of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba expelled party president Girija Prasad Koirala.

Koirala’s supporters refused to accept the expulsion, saying proper procedure had not been followed. Deuba’s faction announced it would form a new “Real Nepali Congress” party.

Last month, Koirala suspended the prime minister from the centrist party for three years after being angered by his unilateral move to dissolve parliament and call early elections.

At a meeting of the party’s policy-making general convention on Tuesday, the prime minister’s followers retaliated.

“A resolution to expel Koirala from the party presidency was adopted by a majority of the convention,” Congress member Hom Nath Dahal told reporters after the meeting.

“Since we have the majority of delegates the Nepali Congress party belongs to us.”

Koirala supporters quickly dismissed the move as invalid, saying rebels had not followed party rules.

“They don’t have the legal sanctity nor the required majority for taking the decision,” Koirala supporter Arjun Narsingh said.

Earlier, the same meeting overturned Deuba’s suspension from the party.

Dahal said Deuba’s supporters would elect a new president in place of Koirala on Wednesday and register themselves as the “Real Nepali Congress” party with the election commission to contest parliamentary elections set for November 13.

The party waged a 50-year-old struggle for democracy in the Himalayan kingdom and has ruled for most of the past 12 years since constitutional monarchy was established.

“Koirala’s expulsion may be legally debatable. But it is a split in the party,” Yubaraj Ghimire, editor of the widely read English daily, the Kathmandu Post, said.

Nepal was convulsed by last year’s palace massacre when Crown Prince Dipendra, high on drugs and alcohol, slew his popular father and eight other royals before killing himself..—Reuters