RSP Leadership Crisis Reignites as Court Extends Judicial Custody of Lamichhane

Kathmandu, May 25 — The question of who will lead the Rastriya Swatantra Party in the future has come up again.

Following the Supreme Court’s directive on Friday to support the ruling from the Tulsipur High Court, Rabi Lamichhane—the leader of RSP—has been ordered into custody as part of an investigation involving cooperative scams and organized criminal activities.

The RSP party leader, Advocate Yagya Mani Neupane, has suggested appointing individuals to crucial vacant roles within the party, such as vice-president. This recommendation follows a court directive that might lead to founding party president Lamichhane stepping back from active participation for an extended period. According to Neupane, it’s essential to occupy these empty seats to maintain the party’s operational continuity up until its subsequent general assembly.

In a missive directed at Acting President DP Aryal and Vice-President Swarnim Wagle, Neupane has requested the party to assign a new general secretary, deputy general secretary, central committee members, and the parliamentary party leader.

Currently, leading the fourth-largest party in Parliament is Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, who serves as the deputy parliamentary leader of the RSP.

After Lamichhane was imprisoned, Aryal took over as acting president. However, the party hasn’t named a female vice-president yet. Furthermore, the general secretary position opened up after Mukul Dhakal’s removal from the party. Also, the deputy general secretary spot has remained empty since Sumana Shrestha stepped down.

Kabin Burlakoti is serving as the acting general secretary, and Manish Jha is the party spokesperson. Dhakal held these positions until he was removed due to a dispute with the leadership regarding party reforms.

“Prior to Acting President Aryal and Vice-President Wagle visiting Lamichhane in Rupandehi on Saturday, following the Supreme Court’s decision a day before, I had presented my suggestions regarding the subsequent actions the party should undertake,” Neupane shared with the Post.

Given the low probability of Lamichhane’s imminent release, the party can’t keep functioning in an impromptu manner. It’s crucial to appoint individuals for the open roles so as to maintain the organization’s operational efficiency and effectiveness.

The division bench comprising Justices Nahakul Subedi and Balkrishna Dhakal dismissed Nikita Paudel’s habeas corpus plea seeking the liberation of her spouse, Lamichhane.

The court stated in the ruling that, considering the readily accessible evidence, it was unreasonable to believe that the defendants were innocent of all charges,

It is alleged that Lamichhane has swindled millions of rupees from multiple cooperatives throughout the nation.

However, the party doesn’t appear inclined to listen to Neupane. Officials from the RSP secretariat doubt Neupane’s authority to make such demands, considering him not even a central member of the organization.

In the meantime, Acting Party President DP Aryal stated that he had not come across Neupane’s proposal.

“The party will assess whether the proposal aligns with their statutes. Should it do so, they may consider discussing it further; however, if it doesn’t, the central committee will convene to explore alternative solutions,” Aryal stated.

In the meantime, Party Leader and Member of Parliament Hari Dhakal stated that the party’s next steps will be determined following the central committee meeting on Sunday. “We are convening a gathering to deliberate on the direction the party should take in light of the new circumstances,” he explained.

Dhakal stated that Neupane’s opinions were personal.

Earlier, the matter of filling party vacancies came up as well. Nevertheless, due to concerns about possible factional disputes when delegating tasks, the party leaders seemed inclined to maintain their current organizational framework leading up to the general convention.

However, Neupane argues that the party should address the vacant positions since the general convention is roughly ten months ahead. Last year’s national conference scheduled the initial general convention for May 8-10. Yet, following Lamichhane’s detention, it was pushed back to March of the subsequent year.

In response to the court’s directive on Friday, the RSP convened an urgent gathering of the secretariat on Saturday.

The online gathering agreed to regard the Supreme Court’s decision as a ‘legal duty.’

Nevertheless, the RSP secretariat meeting noted that the court’s decision seemed to rest on “unfounded logic,” unfairly connecting the cooperatives’ problem with an issue that ought to have fallen under the purview of the Companies Act.

“As per the legal stance, the RSP acknowledges the honorable Supreme Court’s directive to abide by the verdict of the Tulsipur High Court regarding the matter involving party president and ex-deputy prime minister and home minister Rabi Lamichhane,” stated the party’s announcement.

The press statement notes with apprehension that there is a significant chance a choice was reached using unsubstantiated claims, incorrectly linking an issue—properly falling under the purview of the Companies Act—to cooperative matters. Meanwhile, individuals responsible for embezzling billions of rupees from these cooperatives haven’t faced comparable accountability, “the communiqué states.”