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In recent weeks, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), the fourth largest political entity in the House of Representatives (HoR), has emerged as a focal point in national politics.

Firstly, the primary opposition, the Nepali Congress (NC), has been demanding resignation of RSP leader Rabi Lamichhane from the post of deputy prime minister and minister for home affairs over his alleged involvement in a fund misappropriation from a Pokhara-based financial cooperative. 

Several NC leaders have demanded that Lamichhane step down to facilitate an independent and impartial investigation.

While some Congress leaders, notably General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa, have vocally criticized Lamichhane, internal dissent persists, with some advocating for patience before demanding resignation so soon after the formation of a new coalition. Some factions within the party believe that ousting the RSP from the coalition could jeopardize the current alliance. They are of the view that the party should wait for at least 100 days before demanding Lamichhane’s resignation.

Furthermore, there are also voices within the NC that suggest adopting a more conciliatory approach toward the RSP, acknowledging the potential for future collaboration, especially if all communist parties unite in subsequent elections. Despite the assertive stance of figures like Thapa, senior leader Shekhar Koirala, and certain youth leaders, Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba maintains a neutral stance.

Shankar Tiwari, an NC youth leader and a political analyst, emphasizes the party’s commitment to upholding the rule of law, stressing the importance of ensuring that ongoing investigations into Lamichhane remain uninfluenced by political power dynamics. He argues that Lamichhane's appointment as home minister presents a conflict of interest, particularly as he is under police investigation, setting aside any political motivations.

Nevertheless, critics view the Congress’ stance as an attempt to prevent Home Minister Lamichhane from opening old corruption cases, which could potentially implicate its own leaders. The RSP too accuses the main opposition party of stifling its voice by disrupting parliamentary proceedings. 

Lamichhane told a gathering on Saturday that he was willing to engage in a debate with NC General Secretary Thapa in his own constituency, Kathmandu-4. He said the allegations leveled against him by the NC were baseless.

Thapa had claimed in the HoR that Lamichhane was involved in the misuse of funds from the Pokhara-based Suryadarshan Cooperatives, citing a report commissioned by the Pokhara Metropolitan City. 

“A study panel commissioned by the Pokhara Metropolitan City states in its report that one of the individuals opening a fake account in the cooperative is Rabi Lamichhane. Rs 10m has been released in Lamichhane's name, although he is not a member of the cooperative,” Thapa told parliament.

Lamichhane denies any wrongdoing and maintains that he hasn’t been named as a defendant in the case pertaining to the fund misuse of the financial cooperative in question. He has questioned NC’s political integrity, pointing that one of its sitting ministers had felt no moral compulsion to step down even when he was being investigated by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority.  

Lamichhane was referring to former health minister and NC leader Mohan Bahadur Basnet, who is under investigation for his alleged involvement in a corruption case concerning the  procurement of Telecommunication Traffic Monitoring and Fraud Control System (TERAMOCS) of Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA). 

Friction has also arisen between the RSP and its coalition partners regarding a potential alliance in the forthcoming by-election scheduled for April 27 in Ilam-2 and Bajhang (A). Political observers say the CPN (Maoist Center) and CPN-UML will find it hard to deal with RSP in the coming days. 

While Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal of the Maoist party and KP Sharma Oli of the UML have stood by Lamichhane, potential sources of friction linger. Although the RSP played a pivotal role in forming the current alliance, doubts persist regarding the coalition's cohesion.

Recently, RSP Vice-chairperson Swarnim Wagle disclosed Prime Minister Dahal’s offer for the RSP to join the government some three months ago. “Many told us that we could have waited until 2027. But we felt if we can make positive changes from the government, why not accept the offer,” Wagle said about his party’s decision to join the ruling coalition. “We have chosen ministries related to good governance and youths. If we fail to deliver, we will step down.” 

Wagle’s rationale for accepting the offer also betrays RSP’s plan to pull out of the coalition if the party ministers are not allowed to work independently.    

Within the coalition, managing Lamichhane presents a significant challenge for Prime Minister Dahal and the UML. Earlier, Lamichhane had to leave the Home Ministry within a month after he was dragged into a controversy for holding dual passport and citizenship. But he is unlikely to give up that easily this time, even though the NC has been disrupting parliamentary sessions, demanding that the government investigate Lamichhane.

Despite controversies, Lamichhane’s popularity remains intact, as evidenced by his resounding victory in by-elections. RSP’s electoral successes in Chitwan and Tanahun have bolstered their confidence, and it plans to contest the upcoming by-elections and not support other coalition parties.  

The RSP’s reluctance to engage in electoral alliances signals a potential rift within the government, though it is unlikely to directly impact coalition dynamics. To influence the election and party’s popularity, Lamichhane could also leverage his position as home minister by investigating major corruption scandals involving the leaders of major political parties. If that happens, it could exacerbate tensions within the coalition.

To demonstrate effective governance, Lamichhane is already pursuing investigation into the gold smuggling case involving former parliament speaker and Maoist leader Krishna Prasad Mahara. RSP's long-term aspirations to emerge as a significant political force by the 2027 general elections may prompt them to withdraw from the government if hindered by Prime Minister Dahal and his main coalition ally, UML.

Senior RSP leaders assert their commitment to fulfilling promises or resigning, garnering tentative support from Prime Minister Dahal, who believes RSP ministers are more likely to deliver tangible results, shaping public opinion favorably. However, populist decisions by RSP ministers is likely to cause friction within the coalition. So, managing the RSP presents a formidable challenge for both ruling and opposition parties alike.

The CPN-UML has said that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane should resign if a complaint with evidence is filed against him.

Making public the decisions of the Secretariat meeting held on Sunday morning, Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Gyawali said that Home Minister Lamichhane tender his resignation if a complaint with evidence is filed against him.

He claimed that no complaint has been filed against Lamichhane at any regulatory body.

Leader Gyawali further claimed that the Nepali Congress has been obstructing the House proceedings to take political revenge.

Saying that the UML's current focus is on good governance, development, prosperity and winning people's trust, he said that the party will not pay attention to any post.

Meanwhile, condemning the terrorist attack in Moscow, Russia, Gyawali said that the UML will always stand against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

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.