Rabi Lamichhane's Statement Stuns Rasuwapa Leadership; DP Aryal Becomes Speaker

Kathmandu. The statement made by Rastriya Swatantra Party (Rasuwapa) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane at the central office in Banasthali on January 20, 2025, had deeply shocked the party's leadership. Lamichhane, who was in custody for about eight months in connection with cooperative fraud and other cases, was released on bail of two crore 68 lakh from the Butwal bench of the High Court on January 18. At that time, the party's acting chairman was Dol Prasad (DP) Aryal. In the first secretariat meeting chaired by Aryal, he handed over the responsibility to Rabi. During this, Rabi shared what Aryal had told him when he came to visit him in Nakkhu jail, which momentarily stunned the atmosphere. 'Can't the custody in jail be given to the acting chairman just like the party leadership is given to the acting chairman? If it can be, I am ready to stay inside in your place. The country needs you now, you go out, I am ready to do that,' Rabi shared in the meeting what Aryal had told him when he came to Nakkhu jail. The popular television presenter Rabi had announced Rasuwapa as an alternative political force from the National Assembly Hall on July 22, 2022. His main associate was DP Aryal. Within five months of the party's establishment, Rasuwapa, which entered the House of Representatives elections, managed to win 20 seats with 11.35 lakh popular votes. However, along with success, Rabi became entangled in serious cases such as citizenship, passport, cooperative fraud, organized crime, and money laundering. In the previous election, leading the party, he became the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister in the Prachanda-led government, but due to the error in the citizenship case, he lost both his ministerial and parliamentary seats simultaneously. That became a stumbling block for the journey of Rasuwapa. At that time, Aryal was the Minister of Labor, Employment, and Social Security. After Rabi was removed from office, Rasuwapa withdrew from the government. In the by-election in Chitwan-2 in April 2023, Rabi won by an even wider margin compared to the previous election. Dr. Swarnim Wagle won by a spectacular margin from Tanahun-1, the constituency of the current President Ram Chandra Paudel. On March 4, 2024, Rabi returned to the government with his old responsibilities. Aryal also received his old responsibilities. However, Rabi's second stint in power was also unsuccessful. Within four months of joining the government, the Prachanda-led government itself collapsed. On July 2, an agreement of 7 points was reached between the then-President of the Nepali Congress, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and the Chairman of the CPN-UML, KP Sharma Oli. Based on that, Oli became the Prime Minister. With the formation of the Congress-UML coalition government, the cooperative fraud case against Rabi proceeded, and he was arrested on October 18. He was released on bail after being in police custody for about 90 days with the permission of the Kaski District Court. Subsequently, the then government filed serious cases against Rabi related to organized crime and money laundering. In this very case, the Butwal bench of the High Court had decided to send Rabi to custody for pre-trial detention. Cases against Rabi are pending in the district courts of Kaski, Kathmandu, Chitwan, Rupandehi, and Parsa. While Rabi was in Bhairahawa and Nakkhu jails for eight months, the party's image had significantly declined. It was a very difficult situation to defend Rabi in parliament, on the streets, and on social media. In such adverse circumstances, Aryal, who took on the responsibility of acting chairman, managed the party with great prudence. Accusing the Oli government of revenge and political prejudice against the party and its leadership, Rasuwapa strongly resisted from the parliament and the streets under Aryal's leadership. He succeeded in increasing pressure on the state by running a nationwide signature campaign. As pressure mounted on the government from all sides, the government banned social media in mid-August 2024 in the name of regulation. Angered by the government, the GenZ youth generation peacefully protested against corruption and malpractices on September 9. 23 youths died due to police repression in that protest. Due to that repression, the Oli government as well as the country paid a heavy price. On September 10, an enraged mob set fire to and destroyed important state assets, political party offices, private residences, and business establishments. After the GenZ movement, Nepali politics took a new turn. That movement proved to be a cornerstone for Rasuwapa in becoming the country's main political force. Rasuwapa, which entered the elections by uniting with Bibeksheel Sajha, the then Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Balen Shah, the GenZ group, and the Tharuwan/Tharuhat group, achieved unprecedented results. According to the prior agreement with Balen, Rabi is now the chairman of a powerful party close to a two-thirds majority. Balen is the Prime Minister of a government led by Rasuwapa. The party's influential founding leader Aryal has now become the Speaker of the sovereign House of Representatives, one of the major organs of the state. Rasuwapa is scheduled to hold its first national convention in Chitwan from June 21-23, marking the historic occasion of the party's fourth anniversary and becoming a mainstream party by winning nearly 5.2 million popular votes in the elections. The 18 sub-committees formed by the party for the convention, to be held in Ratnanagar, Eastern Chitwan, are actively working. The convention's main organizing committee has been formed under the leadership of the founding chairman Rabi. This committee includes Dr. Swarnim Wagle, Kabindra Burlakoti, Bhupdev Shah, Bipin Kumar Acharya, Lima Adhikari, Basu Maya Tamang, Manish Jha, Birajbhakt Shrestha, Deepakraj Bohara, Ganesh Parajuli, Sobita Gautam, Shishir Khanal, Hari Dhakal, Sarita Gyawali, Sagar Dhakal. All central committee members and all provincial chairpersons are in the committee. However, on this historic occasion of the party, the founding leader and former vice-chairman Aryal will be absent. Considered a dignified and influential leader both within and outside the party, he will not be able to attend the convention due to his official responsibilities. The party decided to send him to a prestigious position like the Speaker. Upholding the party's decision, he was elected unopposed on March 20. Aryal was elected from Kathmandu-9 in the House of Representatives elections held on February 21. He won with 35,093 votes, while his closest rival Nanimaiya Bastola of Congress received five thousand 460 votes. Aryal was in the running to become the Home Minister in the government led by senior leader Balen. Chairman Rabi wanted to keep him in an executive role by making him Home Minister, as he had saved the party in adverse circumstances. However, senior leader Balen insisted on making Sunil Lamshal, close to him, the Home Minister. When an agreement could not be reached between Aryal and Lamshal for the Home Minister position, Balen put forward Sudhan Gurung. After Rabi agreed to Balen's second proposal, Aryal was compelled to become the Speaker. Leaders clarified that Aryal was made the Speaker due to his dignified, politically astute, and coordinating abilities. With his election as Speaker, his active politics in the party has been put on hold. Due to the constitutional provision of not having party affiliation after being elected Speaker, he will not participate in the party's first convention. Aryal remained active in party building with unwavering resolve, both when taking on the responsibility of Speaker and when Chairman Rabi was in jail. He regularly went to the office, understood the problems and grievances of leaders and workers meticulously, and provided encouragement. Addressing a protest rally in Pokhara on November 10, 2024, he stated that Rabi would be the party chairman for life. 'I want to say from this platform that as long as Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman Rabi Lamichhane is alive, Rabi Lamichhane will be the chairman,' Aryal had said. 'Who gets to be the acting chairman or not is a secondary matter. Rabi will remain the chairman even if he is in custody or in jail.' After being released from jail, Rabi recounted in 2022 that it was difficult to get citizenship even for central membership. He praised Aryal's role in expanding the campaign, which started by joining hands with friends around him, into a large one. Another vice-chairman and current Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle recalled history while supporting Aryal, proposed by Rabi for the Speaker position in parliament. 'In the past few years, the party has faced many adversities. When the party and our chairman were attacked, we two vice-chairmen were able to manage and carry it forward,' Wagle had said. 'He has excellent management skills. He has a dignified and coordinating role. I have found an advanced consciousness to connect his life story, which is imbued with a middle-class struggle, with public policy.' Co-Minister Bipin Kumar Acharya asserted that although Aryal's absence would cause some inconvenience in the party, there would be no obstacle to leadership development in an institutional manner. 'It is because the responsibility of the country is greater than the responsibility of the party that he has been sent as Speaker,' he said. 'The party will surely feel his absence. However, party building is essential for running the country. The party has already developed leadership so that his absence is not felt, so it should not be difficult.' Treasurer Lima Adhikari said that Aryal's absence would be felt due to his coordinating and small matter management skills. 'He has very good management skills. He has the ability to manage small things and coordinate with everyone. I also feel his absence,' Adhikari said. Born in 1975 in a farmer family in Dhading's ज्वालामुखी Rural Municipality (former Maidi VDC), Aryal entered Kathmandu after 1992 in pursuit of employment. Aryal initially worked as a general laborer in a restaurant. In 1996, he went to Japan for foreign employment. After returning from Japan, he entered the tourism business. After returning to Nepal, he became active in tourism as well as consultancy services for foreign studies, investing simultaneously in the cooperative and education sectors. He invested in Sumire Tours & Travels, Yokohama Japanese Language Academy, HIMS School, Janasagar Savings and Credit Cooperative Society, and Easylink Remittance, undertaking tasks such as providing employment at home and abroad and bringing in foreign currency. Active in the tourism and cooperative sectors for about 2 decades, he has been directly involved in remittance services for 15 years. Before 2022, he was openly associated with no political party, but in 2019, he joined Rabi while searching for collaborators to build a hospital in Raskot, Kalikot. Together with Rabi, Aryal played a significant role in building the Raskot Community Hospital. During the hospital construction campaign, Aryal, Rabi, and Dr. Mukul Dhakal came together and decided to form an alternative political party.