Nepal: Rift In Ruling Coalition Widens As Ministers From Major Ally Quit PM Prachanda's Cabinet En Masse

The RSP, the fourth largest party, convened a meeting on Sunday to discuss leaving the government and opted to walk out, according to Party President Rabi Lamichhane.

Nepal PM Puspa Kamal Dahal Prachanda.

Source : Getty

As the schism within the ruling coalition deepens, Nepal's Rashtriya Swatantra Party has opted to withdraw from the newly established government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda,' with ministers resigning en masse, news agency ANI reported.

The RSP, the fourth largest party, convened a meeting on Sunday to discuss leaving the government and opted to walk out, according to Party President Rabi Lamichhane.

Nepal | Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has decided to walk out of Nepal's Cabinet led by PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. The party meeting held on Sunday decided to walk out of the Cabinet.

Rashtriya Swatantra Party is 4th largest party in the coalition with 19 MPs.

— ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2023

"The ministers also would submit their resignation to the Prime Minister today itself," Lamichhane was quoted by ANI in its report. 

The schism within the ruling coalition began last month, when the Supreme Court annulled Lamichhane's MP seat after his citizenship was deemed "invalid" by the court.

Lamichhane was also the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs at the time the judgement was issued.

Lamichhane, who was fired from his office, has attended repeated rounds of meetings with Prime Minister Prachanda, seeking his restoration and threatening to resign if his demands were not satisfied.

The RSP, led by Lamichhane, had seized the General Election of November 2022 by storm, emerging as an alternative power and source of hope for the people. However, it has recently become entangled in a power struggle and politicking as authorities investigate Lamichhane, the former Home Minister, in the issue of passport forgery.

Lamichhane was discovered to be travelling with both an American and a Nepalese passport. The situation is still being investigated.

On January 27, Nepal's Supreme Court removed RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane from his seat as a legislator, ruling that the citizenship document he presented to run in the parliamentary election was unlawful. According to The Kathmandu Post, the revocation of his citizenship card lost him the roles of home minister and party president.

According to the Supreme Court's decision, Lamichanne lost his Nepali citizenship when he became an American citizen. According to The Kathmandu Post, he utilised his lawfully revoked citizenship to get a Nepali passport and run in the lower house election.

The RSP was in charge of the portfolios of the Ministries of Labor, Employment, and Social Security, as well as the Ministries of Education, Science, and Technology. It also had a member who served as a state minister in the Ministry of Health and Population.

(With Inputs From ANI)