What's behind Prachanda supporting Rabi Lamichhane?

Kathmandu, December 12 — Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), has publicly objected to the government's retaliatory actions against Rabi Lamichhane, the president of the Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP).

Addressing a public meeting in Chitwan on December 10, Prachanda not only criticized the government's vindictive treatment of Lamichhane but also condemned such actions. He accused the party that had proposed Lamichhane as Prime Minister of now engaging in biased retaliation against him.

Prachanda said, "Rabi and RSP did not accept the proposals of Congress and UML, and because of this, political retaliation is evident. Is it appropriate to treat Rabi like a great criminal? This is absolutely unjust. If Rabi is to be feared this much, how weak must Congress and UML be?"

Prachanda, who has spent significant time defending Rabi, also expressed dissatisfaction over the protection being given to leaders of Congress and UML, who are allegedly involved in embezzling funds from cooperatives. He criticized the government for focusing on saving these "theatrical leaders" rather than addressing the larger issues of corruption.

Earlier, Prachanda had also condemned the government's actions on social media, calling them arbitrary, undemocratic, inhumane, and retaliatory against Lamichhane, who has not been convicted by any court and was elected with overwhelming public support.

Lamichhane is currently under investigation for allegedly embezzling funds from five cooperatives, and Prachanda's support has placed the government under pressure. However, some Maoist party members, including Lekhnath Neupane, have expressed dissatisfaction with Prachanda’s statements.

Neupane wrote on Facebook, "We are speaking out against the ruling party's misdeeds. We are also defending a cooperative fraudster from the opposition."

Maoist Secretary Devendra Paudel clarified that Prachanda’s criticism was not about defending Lamichhane but about condemning the biased treatment by the government. He emphasized that while certain individuals from UML are implicated in cooperative fraud, the government's focus seems to be unjustly directed at Lamichhane.

Professor Krishna Pokharel also criticized the government for misusing state power against Lamichhane, stating that such behavior is unnecessary and unjust. He stressed that it was reasonable for the main opposition party to speak out against the state's inhumane actions toward Lamichhane.

Pokharel further accused Congress and UML of being the main parties involved in the cooperative scams, and he questioned why only Lamichhane was being treated unfairly while these parties were being shielded by the government.

Political analysts are speculating that Prachanda may have expressed support for Lamichhane to increase pressure on the government, as he has previously led the party twice in the government, and his relationship with Lamichhane remains significant.

On the morning of Lamichhane’s arrest on October 18, Prachanda had informed opposition parties about the impending arrest during a meeting at the Parliament Building. Since then, he had remained silent until recently, when he spoke out in Lamichhane’s defense.

Lamichhane, who has also served as the former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, was arrested on charges of embezzling funds from five cooperatives and is currently under investigation by the police.