Kathmandu: The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has decided to withdraw from Nepal’s ruling coalition after PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” refused to reinstate the party’s flamboyant chairman Rabi Lamichhane as the home minister after he recently re-acquired his citizenship.
The decision was taken after a joint meeting of RSP’s central members and lawmakers. Lamichhane, 48, was elected from Chitwan-2 constituency during the elections held in November last year. He subsequently lost the status of a lawmaker following a verdict by Nepal’s Supreme Court on January 27, which stated that the citizenship certificate he produced to contest the parliamentary election was invalid, according to the media.
Because one must be a citizen of Nepal to hold those posts, it claimed, he subsequently lost both his ministerial portfolio and the party's presidency. He regained citizenship on January 29, after which he contacted Prachanda and reportedly sought to be reinstated to his previous ministerial position.
But the Nepal PM was in no mood to relent. Lamichhane was appointed deputy PM and home minister on December 26 last year. The RSP, floated by Lamichhane, won 20 seats in the federal polls, making its fourth largest force in parliament.
The decision of RSP to leave the coalition government had little impact on PM Prachanda's political standing. This is due to the RSP's decision to support this government despite the recall of its ministers, according to the media.