Dhawal removed as head of organizational department in RPP reshuffle

Kathmandu, October 3 — The responsibility of Dr. Dhawal Shamsher Rana, the General Secretary of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), has been removed from the organizational department. Chairman Rajendra Lingden has reassigned responsibilities among the leaders, which resulted in Rana's removal from the organization. It has been claimed that this change was made to allow Rana to focus solely on his role as the coordinator of the Movement Coordination Committee.

In his place, Vice Chair Buddhi Man Tamang has been appointed. Tamang was previously the head of the political department, which has now been assigned to another Vice President, Rabindra Mishra.

Similarly, Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan has been given responsibility for the Local Level Coordination Committee. Previously, Vice Chair Roshan Karki held that position, but he has been removed and replaced by Pradhan.

Pradhan was earlier in charge of the training department, which is currently vacant, and the appointment process will be finalized soon, according to spokesperson Mohan Shrestha. He stated that Chairman Lingden has informed about the changes in department heads as per the party's regulations.

In a statement released on Thursday evening, he mentioned: “Senior leader Buddhi Man Tamang is now in charge of the organizational department, Dhruva Bahadur Pradhan is in charge of the Local Level Coordination Department, Rabindra Mishra is in charge of the political department, Bijay Khadka is in charge of the tourism department, Uddhav Thapa is in charge of the disaster management department, Uddhav Raj Bhetuwal is in charge of the IT department, and Kedar Neupane is in charge of the finance committee.”

There has been dissatisfaction within the RPP regarding Rana’s removal from the organizational head position. One leader expressed concern that it was inappropriate to remove him while he was in India for treatment, without adequate discussion. Elected central member Janakaraj Pathak also mentioned that this decision would be raised in the next meeting. “We are unaware of any meeting of the executive committee. We don’t know which level approved this. This will be brought up in another meeting,” he said.

Rana is currently in India for medical treatment. The issue of his removal during his absence has sparked debate within the party. “After a cancer issue was detected in his tooth, he is now in a hospital in Mumbai, India,” said one leader. “A person who has contributed and worked hard for the party, who played a role in making Lingden the chairman, being removed while receiving treatment is a peak of autocracy.”

With discussions about holding a grand convention by mid-December 2025, competition within the party has intensified. It has been reported that as Rana prepared to challenge Lingden in the upcoming convention, Lingden decided to change the organizational head to "size down" Rana. Although Lingden became chairman with strong support from Rana in the last convention, tensions have been rising between the two leaders recently.