KATHMANDU: In a clear signal that internal rifts within the Nepali Congress are reaching a critical boiling point, the party’s non-establishment faction announced on Wednesday that it will convene a national gathering in Kathmandu on August 14 to chart out its future political course.

The announcement was made by senior leader Prakash Man Singh during a program organized at Nepal Academy in Kamaladi to mark the 44th memorial day of founding leader B.P. Koirala.

The event itself underscored the severe polarization within the country’s oldest democratic party, as the dissident group held its memorial function separately from the establishment leadership.

Addressing the assembly of central cadres, prominent figures from the dissident camp—including Purna Bahadur Khadka, Bimalendra Nidhi, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Shashank Koirala, and Shekhar Koirala—painted a sobering picture of both the nation and the party.

They collectively emphasized that Nepal is navigating an extraordinarily complex political environment, warning that internal squabbles could jeopardize the party’s future.

The speakers urged that at such a delicate juncture, the party must move forward through genuine unity and institutional cohesion rather than internal differences and unilateral decisions.

The parallel programs held across the capital on B.P. Koirala’s memorial day highlight how deep the organizational fissure has become following recent internal disputes.

While the establishment faction observed the day with separate official events, the dissident group used its Nepal Academy gathering as a direct show of strength.

Expressing frustration over a lack of meaningful dialogue with the leadership, leaders warned that if efforts to achieve a respectable unity fail, they may be forced to consider alternative political steps.

The upcoming national gathering in August is expected to bring together representatives from across the country to decide whether to push for a unified convention or take further steps toward a formal split.