CHP leader seeks to end Kurdish row

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

There is ‘no room’ for discrimination in the CHP, Kılıçdaroğlu says. Daily News Photo

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader has ordered his party’s executives to close the dispute sparked following deputy Birgül Ayman Güler’s remarks about the equality of the Turkish nation and Kurdish nationality, while also criticizing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for “inconsistency” on the Kurdish issue.

“In 2005, he said ‘the Kurdish problem is my own problem.’ In 2011, this esteemed Turkish statesman said ‘the Kurdish problem is over for me.’ What happened? What’s the reason for this twist?” Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said on Wednesday at a meeting with the provincial chairs of his party.

The CHP leader once again stressed that there was “no room” for discrimination in his party’s philosophy. “We are a social democratic party; our focus is human. We don’t question anybody’s ethnic origin, we respect everybody’s ethnic origins and beliefs. That’s why we say that everybody’s ethnic origin is their honor,” he said.

Kılıçdaroğlu was seeking to quell the intra-party crisis that was ignited when Güler, representing the nationalist wing of the CHP, said on Jan. 23 that she did not consider the “Turkish nation” and “Kurdish nationality” to be equals, causing Adıyaman Deputy Salih Fırat to resign from the party.

The main opposition leader, who previously blamed the media for attempting to stir his party, instructed his lawmakers and party executives to put an end to discussions that would further provoke the dispute. “I’ve said my last word on this debate, this issue will not be discussed anymore,” he told reporters on Jan. 30.

Kılıçdaroğlu also ordered his lawmakers not to enter into arguments via Twitter or social media.