NRNA President Mahesh Kumar Shrestha Deems October Convention Unconstitutional; Leadership Dispute Intensifies

Kathmandu – President of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), Mahesh Kumar Shrestha, has claimed that holding a convention in the upcoming October is completely unconstitutional and invalid. According to him, since a new executive committee has already been elected through the unity general convention held on May 3–4 as per the order of the Supreme Court, there is no justification for holding another convention in October.

Speaking at a virtual discussion program organized by INJA Europe and Nepal Plus Online on Saturday, President Shrestha stated that the ICC election had already been conducted by the high-level committee formed under the Supreme Court’s directive, and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had also recognized the committee as legitimate. “We will not let the October convention take place under any circumstance and will take all legal measures against it,” he clarified.

Shrestha accused the Badri KC faction of causing division among NCCs and stated that he had remained patient for three months in an effort to achieve unity. He also informed that although his group had not yet entered the Secretariat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already granted them authority.

He added, “The Badri KC faction is working against the statute by dissolving legitimately elected committees and causing division in the organization. Those committees will be nullified, and the NRNA must move forward in a new direction.” He also made it clear that the KC faction has no legal or moral right to spend the association's funds.

Shrestha mentioned that they would accept the final verdict of the court, saying, “The decision from the full bench of the Supreme Court will be the valid one. The current situation has not arisen due to political parties but due to ego and arrogance.”

Meanwhile, NRNA Vice President Hemraj Sharma, from the Badri KC faction, stated that only the members listed in the MIS would be considered valid members. He claimed that the confusion arose because the unity general convention was never officially postponed, but he did not provide a clear explanation regarding the dissolution of committees in violation of the statute.

Sharma expressed regret over the recent incident where NRNs were reportedly assaulted at the association’s central office by UML-affiliated individuals, and he committed that such incidents would not be repeated in the future. He added that while he and President Mahesh Shrestha share the same goals, they differ in their approaches, and emphasized the need to work together after the court’s decision.

As the recent leadership dispute within the NRNA continues to challenge the organization's credibility and unity, both factions seem hopeful about the court’s final verdict.