Nepal:RSP quits coalition government

Nepal's Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has decided to withdraw from the newly-formed government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' with ministers resigning en-masse as the rift widened in the ruling coalition. Three ministers of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) resigned en masse on Sunday after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal denied reinstatement of RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane to the post of deputy prime minister and home minister even after he renewed his citizenship certificate following a court case that has taken center stage in Nepali politics.

Rift inside the ruling coalition started last month after the Supreme Court invalidated the MP post of Mr Lamichhane after his citizenship was termed 'invalid' by the court. Lamichhane was also the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs at the time the court delivered the verdict. Lamichhane had held multiple rounds of meeting with PM Prachanda demanding his reinstatement and had threatened to walk out if the demands are not met.  Lamichhane, who worked as a presenter in a television program ‘Sidha Kura Janata Sanga’, began his journey in politics with the formation of the Rastriya Swatantra Party on June 21, 2022. Within just seven months after its formation, the RSP led by Lamichhane made a dramatic rise to become the fourth largest political party in the federal parliament.