KATHMANDU, Aug 7: The internal dispute within the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), which has been advocating for the reinstatement of the monarchy and the declaration of Nepal as a Hindu nation, has intensified with growing friction between party Chair Rajendra Lingden and General Secretary Dhawal Shamsher Rana. The two leaders have begun organizing separate gatherings, meetings and events, leading to confusion among party cadres.
Following the escalation of the conflict, the dissenting faction has demanded that the party chair call a meeting of the Work Execution Committee (WEC). At present, 41 members of the WEC support Lingden, while Rana commands the backing of 11 members. According to the party statute, at least 17 members can request such a meeting. However, a senior leader said that the chair is not in a mood to convene the meeting just because of a demand from the dissatisfied faction. The establishment faction is reportedly not willing to hold the meeting.
General Secretary Rana, who leads the dissenting group, said they made the demand after Chair Lingden began removing leaders from the party. “We didn’t start the dispute. The chair began removing leaders arbitrarily, so we demanded a WEC meeting,” said Rana.
Amid the rising tensions, senior and devoted party leaders have begun resigning. The key triggers of the dispute include the removal of Nawaraj Subedi from his responsibilities, the ousting of Sagun Sundar Lawati as party spokesperson, and alleged misconduct by Lingden’s personal secretary toward party workers.
Central committee (CC) member Kishor Bahadur Karki has already resigned, expressing dismay over the internal turmoil in a party that has been leading a movement to reinstate the monarchy.
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Chair Lingden removed Subedi from his role as chair of the party’s Disciplinary Committee and appointed Vice-Chair Roshan Karki in his place. In response, Subedi approached the Election Commission. On July 9, RPP formally appointed Karki to the position. Lingden also removed Lawati as party spokesperson, who has now aligned with Rana's campaign.
Senior leaders including Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani, Vice-Chair Bikram Pandey, Mukunda Shyam Giri, and General Secretaries Rana and Kunti Shah have issued a public statement condemning Lingden’s unilateral decision to remove Subedi from the disciplinary committee. Lingden also dismissed Vice-Chair Giri, whom he had previously nominated as both central committee member and vice-chair.
As the situation escalated, Chair Lingden visited Senior Vice-Chair Rabindra Mishra at his residence for a meeting. However, the party continues to show no signs of resolving the internal conflict. The RPP’s movement for reinstating the monarchy has also stalled due to this internal strife. The dissatisfied faction has already held separate gatherings and meetings.
A parallel meeting was attended by around 50 leaders including former Chair and Directive Committee Chair Lohani, former Minister and WEC member Hari Bahadur Basnet, Vice-Chairs Pandey and Giri, General Secretaries Rana and Shah, former spokesperson Lawati, assistant spokesperson Prabin Kumar Thokar Tamang, Assistant General Secretaries Prem Balayar, Rishiraj Devkota, and Saurendra Bahadur Shah, among others. The gathering was aimed at increasing pressure on Lingden.
Party Spokesperson Mohan Kumar Shrestha claimed that the controversy was fabricated for the sake of controversy. “They have raised this issue just to stir conflict,” he said. According to Shrestha, Subedi was replaced only after he declared that he was no longer part of the party.
“He (Subedi) publicly announced his resignation from the party during a rally of the Joint People's Movement Committee on March 17. After that, the post of disciplinary committee chair became vacant. As the most senior member, Karki was appointed to the position. Subedi himself had designated her as acting chair six months earlier, so this should not be a matter of dispute,” said Shrestha.
He added that Lawati was removed because he was involved in activities outside the party. “The chair warned him multiple times. When he didn’t comply, the chair revoked his appointment, which is a legitimate process under party rules,” Shrestha said, adding that the same applied to Vice-Chair Giri.
The establishment faction appears set to take a hard line against the dissenting leaders. The party's Disciplinary Committee has already warned members not to engage in activities contrary to the party’s broader interests and unity. It also urged members to respect party policy and discipline and refrain from issuing individual or factional statements on social media or through the press.
The dissenting faction has said it will continue its internal struggle against Chair Lingden. “We’ve made our position clear. We will not allow authoritarianism and unilateral decisions by the chair to continue,” said a leader close to Rana. Suvedi, who was appointed head of the pro-monarchy protest committee, publicly quit the party on March 17. At that time, it was believed former King Gyanendra Shah favored Subedi to lead the movement, sidelining RPP in the process.
Several RPP leaders, including Lohani and Pashupati Shamsher Rana, had joined Subedi’s movement. The movement coordination committee was led by RPP General Secretary Rana, which led to further tensions in the party. “They said they would lead the movement outside the party framework, and we saw that happen on March 28. That only damaged the King’s reputation further,” a party leader said.
Lingden accused of protecting attacker of Gaire
Chair Lingden has been accused of protecting an attacker of Raju Gaire, a loyal RPP member for the past 18 years known for advocating religious and monarchist agendas. According to the dissenting group, Gaire is facing injustice within the party. “When I demanded justice against political hooliganism within our own party, the chair surrounded himself with the very people responsible and carried on with events as if nothing happened,” said one of the dissenting leaders, adding, “This shows that not all party members are treated equally anymore.”
Last Thursday, Lingden’s personal secretary Chhatra Khadayat allegedly attacked Gaire in retaliation for Gaire's social media criticism of the chair. Gaire was having tea at a restaurant near the party office when Khadayat reportedly struck him with a helmet. A video of the incident has circulated on social media and news outlets.
Despite Gaire filing a complaint with the police, he claims that police have refused to register a formal report. He also filed a petition with the party secretariat demanding action, but the party has yet to respond or even contact the victim. However, party spokesperson Shrestha claimed the altercation between Khadayat and Gaire was personal and unrelated to the party. “There is life outside the party too—this may have been a personal matter,” he said.