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Has Rabi Lamichhane dug a hole for himself and his up and coming party with his Sunday’s press conference? The leader of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), who recently resigned as home minister over dual citizenship and passport controversy, has accused the press, publishers, and even some Twitter users of launching a witch hunt against him and his party.

Lamichhane had organized the press conference to announce the party’s decision to recall its ministers from the government, but he took no time to turn the briefing into a bizarre mudslinging fest, where he mostly attacked the media. Political analyst Lokraj Baral said Lamichhane’s action has done more harm to his nascent party than good. Baral compared the RSP with the party led by Dr KI Singh and Gorkha Parishad that were formed following the first democratic election of 1959.

“They too had won around 15-20 seats in parliament, but could not secure their political future,” said Baral. “It may appear like Lamichhane exposed the national media with his press conference, but his attitude was also exposed as that of other political leaders. This could hamper the future of his party in the long run.”

ApEx contacted several RSP central committee members and parliamentarians for their comments regarding Sunday’s incident, but most of them declined to talk about it. One central committee member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Lamichhane had called the press conference without informing the party members. “Most of the party members didn’t know what he was going to say in the conference,” said the RSP central committee member. Another party leader and lawmaker said it was Lamichhane who decided to recall the party ministers, not the central committee. “Other ministers could have won the public trust with their work,” said the leader.

Ganesh Karki, central committee member, wrote on social media that the person himself (Lamichhane) must defend his statement since it was not formally/informally discussed in the official meeting of the party. Minister of Education, Science and Technology Shishir Khanal and State Minister of Health and Population Dr Tosima Karki were not present at the press conference, while most of the party lawmakers and central members left the party office after the central committee meeting.

The RSP was formed around six months ago as an alternative political force and contested the general elections of 20 Nov 2022. The party won 20 seats in the federal parliament to become the fourth latest party, and decided to join the coalition government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Lamichhane was appointed the deputy prime minister and home minister. But trouble began when it was revealed that Lamichhane had contested the election by submitting an invalid citizenship document, and the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court voided his status as a lawmaker and minister. Lamichhane has since obtained a valid citizenship, but he could not retain his lawmaker and minister’s status.  

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that public service delivery has been affected due to the large number of government holidays, while calling for a review of it. Speaking at a meeting of the Democracy Day Main Celebration Committee at the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers today, Prime Minister Dahal said, "Our official holidays have become too many. This has affected public service delivery. We have also discussed in the Council of Ministers that this needs to be reviewed.” Meanwhile, the meeting today decided to celebrate Democracy Day with a variety of programs on February 19. The main ceremony organizing committee has been formed under the coordination of the Prime Minister. The National Democracy Day is celebrated in commemoration of the historic day when a popular uprising brought an end to the autocratic Rana regime, paving the way for establishment of democracy in the country on Falgun 7, 2007 B.S.  

National Assembly Vice-Chairperson Urmila Aryal assumed office on Tuesday. Before assuming the office, she took the oath of office and secrecy from National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina in the presence of President Bidya Devi Bhandari amidst a special function held in Sheetal Niwas this afternoon. Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Speaker of the House of Representatives Devraj Ghimire, heads and representatives of the constitutional bodies, leaders of different political parties and media persons were present on the occasion. Aryal was elected unopposed as the National Assembly Vice-Chair on Monday.  

Samantha Power, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday. During her stay in Nepal, she will pay courtesy calls on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Foreign Minister Bimala Rai Paudyal. She will also hold talks with civil society leaders, community groups, students, businesses, and government officials. Administrator Power will underscore the United States’ enduring, more than 75-year partnership with the government and people of Nepal. She will highlight USAID’s commitment to increasing our engagement with Nepal and its new government. Administrator Power will announce new efforts to build momentum to strengthen democratic gains in federalism, social inclusion, civil society, and media freedom, according to a statement issued by USAID.