Kathmandu, March 23:Nepali Congress leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Shailaja Acharya today has announced her candidacy for the presidency of Nepali Congress in the coming Tenth General Convention of Nepali Congress to be held in October.

She has appealed for cooperation from her senior leaders including former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai as well as her colleagues and counterparts. “I appeal to Party leader Bhattari for his blessings and am sure of NC worker’s and public support,” said the NC leader who has held the position of NC Vice-President earlier.

“My campaign shall begin in Baishakh new year from Sundarijal jail which is a sacred site symbolising our movement,” the second generation NC leader said. “After the demise of democracy in 2017 BS, B.P. Koirala and other political prisoners were kept in Sundarijal jail. That house harbours the soul of Nepali Congress, and I want to give the party a revival of its spirit,” she said.

When asked when does she think the process of succession of the second generation of party leadership will start, Acharya said she has been told to takeover as the Acting President of Nepali Congress by the Party President Girija Prasad Koirala. “Therefore, in a way the process of hand over has already begun,” she said.

“Two distinct streams can now be seen in Nepali Congress— One is that of a faction which believes in power mongering and groupism while another is of those who are still dedicated to the fundamental values and norms that Nepali Congress stands for,” Acharya said, adding that she wants to give the latter stream a new leash of life.

“It was for such a Nepali Congress which stood for values that B.P. Koirala and Ganeshman Singh devoted themselves while thousands other sacrificed their lives,” she said expressing her serious concern that this tradition of value based politics is today endangered.

“My candidacy is meant to bring the message of unity at the face of groupism that we see in the party today. A leadership that is weak morally cannot combat the challenges of terrorism and anti-democratic forces that the nation is facing,” she said.