National 3 (Spotlight Weekly)

Deepening Instability

The ruling party asks for the PM’s resignation on the eve of his visit to India in an effort that could weaken his image abroad

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

Every time a Nepalese Prime Minister is set to visit India, political events gain speed. The same thing happened this time when the Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s (RPP) Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting last week asked for the resignation of Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, three days before he was about to embark on his first foreign visit since he took office in June this year.

Political analysts see a nefarious objective in weakening the position of country’s prime minister on the eve of his visit to important neighbor India. “The whole objective of the visit could be overshadowed by the domestic problem in such circumstances,” said an analyst.

Rana : Squeezing PM's arm

Besides, the party took such a decision at a time when senior colleague of PM Thapa, finance minister Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani was on a foreign visit and another of his close aide Rabindra Nath Sharma is in CIAA custody.

Although Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa is left for New Delhi on November 23 as part of his whirlwind tour of countries of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), he was also expected to discuss bilateral issues with his Indian counterpart. PM Thapa, who is the current chair of the regional body, is leaving for the customary visit of regional countries.

But days before Thapa left for his sojourn, the RPP president Pashupati SJB Rana threw a bombshell when he called an emergency meeting of the CWC that formally asked him to step down. On the day when PM Thapa was leaving for New Delhi, the party’s discipline committee faxed a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) seeking clarification from the PM Thapa asking him why the party should not take action against him.

Although the RPP move may not have any constitutional or legal strength, since Thapa was nominated by the King and not recommended by the party, its political repercussion could be far-reaching. “RPP’s decision came as a bolt from the blue. It was cleverly timed to coincide with his India visit. Clearly, there is more to it than meets the eye,” said an RPP leader close to Thapa camp.

On his part Rana claims that he had waited for the last five months for PM Thapa to implement his promise of forming all party government. The party had asked the resignation of Thapa, who is also its founding leader, for failing to act according to the mandate, Rana claimed. The majority of the central members of the party asked for his resignation at the CWC meeting on November 20.

However, Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa has sharply rejected the party’s call for his resignation. “I was appointed as a Prime Minister in a special circumstance and under the Article 127 of the Constitution. I was not recommended for this post by the party. Therefore, I am accountable only to the King and the people. The party has no business asking for my resignation,” Thapa told the reporters at his residence on November 20. “I am continuously trying to get other parties on board. I have said the government will hold elections as soon as possible. Besides, the party had also benefited by the various government decisions,” he said discarding the party’s position.

Rana’s move had clearly irked PM Thapa who even went to the length of daring the party president to join hands with the five parties in their agitation if he had ‘guts’.

Party general secretary and government spokesperson Kamal Thapa compared the party move with the “Maoist ambush”. He hinted that the party could even split if it goes ahead and ousts the PM from the party fold.

For the time being, the intra-party crisis in the RPP has been put on hold to be continued after the PM returns next week. Whether this move will lead to split in the RPP is not clear yet but it has certainly done adequate damage to the PM’s strength when he meets with regional leaders.