RPP leaders accused of plotting to abandon monarchist agenda

Kathmandu. RPP central committee members have claimed that party leaders who benefited most from the monarchy are now organizing closed-door meetings to mobilize against the institution and abandon the royalist agenda.

‘Those who gained the most in the name of the King are now running a campaign against him,’ RPP central member Gopal Paudel stated on Facebook on Sunday. ‘It is heard that they are holding closed-door discussions to drop the King’s agenda.’

He insisted that the RPP will never perish and its core agenda cannot be changed. Another leader, Suresh Acharya, commented on Paudel’s statement, saying, ‘The RPP will not die because a small group driven by self-interest and greed continues to run it for personal gain. Even if it goes into a coma, the RPP will keep running. There is truth in this.’

Acharya added, ‘But in my opinion, the RPP is a declining party from every political perspective; it has reached a state of final struggle before political collapse.’

He claimed that based on mathematical and scientific grounds, three-quarters of the RPP’s public support and quality have vanished since the 2048 election compared to 2082. 

He remarked that from the leadership eras of Lokendra Bahadur Chand and Surya Bahadur Thapa to the current tenure of Rajendra Lingden, the RPP has barely managed to remain a national party. ‘If it continues to decline at this average rate, my conclusion is that the RPP will never be able to become a national-level party after the next election, or it will be limited to the status of a minor political council,’ leader Acharya said.

Former RPP member Rabindra Mishra has even written an article questioning whether the RPP will reform or perish. Suggesting that the top tier of the RPP prevents any reform, former Vice President Mishra concluded that if the RPP does not reform, it will be replaced by another nationalist, center-right party. 

Dissatisfaction within the RPP has grown following weak election results, and leaders have begun engaging in internal factional discussions. According to RPP sources, a meeting of leaders close to Lingden was recently held at the residence of Vice President Dhruva Bahadur Pradhan, with the participation of Vice President Buddhiman Tamang. These comments from Paudel and others have emerged at a time when discussions regarding a potential change in the party’s agenda have surfaced.