KATHMANDU, Oct 19: Janamat Party Chairman CK Raut termed Rabi Lamichhane's arrest a political vendetta.
“I can only describe the current arrest of Rabi, the chairman of a new national party with 21 seats, as an act of political vendetta and repression. This action undermines a promising future and attempts to thwart the golden prospects of the next generation at its inception. This arrest is a frame-up by the state,” Chairman Raut stated.
He added that despite the differences in the parties' bases, agendas, and opposition to each other in certain areas, both the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and the Janamat Party agree that there should not be politics of revenge and repression in a democracy.
Efforts being made to bring Janamat Party back to govt
"I hope Rabi Lamichhane will successfully navigate this situation. I am one of the most victimized individuals by the government's misuse of laws over the last decade. I have been detained or jailed more than two dozen times. The laws here are such that the state can detain anyone, whether they are walking on the street or sleeping at home, for 25 to 50 days in the name of investigation despite their innocence. Even if the court later proves them innocent, the state does not have to apologize," he wrote.
Raut also stated that those in power, including the parties in government and their top leaders, have been misusing laws.
"They have weaponized these laws to suppress those who oppose them, forcibly admit people into their party, and unjustly extort money. Even when a helpless, poor individual is murdered, the police often refuse to file a complaint," he alleged.
RSP Chairman Lamichhane was arrested on Friday on charges of misappropriating cooperative savings. He was taken to Pokhara the same night. Chairman Lamichhane was placed in custody at 3 AM after being transported to Pokhara by road.
