Rastriya Prajatantra Party Leaders Object to 'Unconstitutional' Removal from Posts

Kathmandu. Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Vice Chairman Dilbikash Rajbhandari and Central Committee Member Suresh Acharya have objected to the party leadership's decision to remove them from their posts in an unconstitutional and arbitrary manner. They expressed sorrow and regret over the Chairman's move, stating that action was taken without giving them an opportunity to clarify, which violates the principles of natural justice.

In a joint statement, the two leaders stated that they only learned about their removal from office through online media. The statement read, 'The party's statute does not grant the Chairman the authority to remove individuals in this manner, infringing upon the jurisdiction of the Central Working Committee and the Disciplinary Committee.' They also challenged the Chairman to publicly explain under which article and provision of the party statute the action was taken. They claimed that the Central Working Committee itself was unaware of the action taken against them.

The two leaders alleged that the leadership is trying to make them scapegoats to evade responsibility for the party's embarrassing defeat in the House of Representatives elections. The statement mentioned, 'In the election conducted under the Chairman's sole dictatorship, the deposits of 159 out of 164 candidates, or 97 percent, were forfeited.' It further stated, 'The statistics of the defeat will not change just because the top leadership shifts the blame solely onto the two of us and diverts attention elsewhere, and the main leadership cannot be absolved of moral responsibility.'

They commented that instead of conducting an institutional review of the election, the leadership has shown an unbalanced attitude in haste and is engrossed in factional interests. 

Furthermore, referring to the party losing members of parliament in the Koshi and Bagmati provinces, they claimed that decisions made on the leadership's whim have harmed the party. The statement read, 'It is not unnatural for the party rank and file to inquire why and for whom the two elected positions were vacated.' 

With a decision already made to hold the General Convention in May, they demanded institutional redress, stating that arbitrary and serial actions have been taken against those who offer constructive criticism in favor of strengthening the party and against ideological deviation. They also warned that opaque actions create suspicion and, indirectly, raise questions against the leadership itself.