KATHMANDU, April 17: In the hours leading to the central committee meeting of the opposition party Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) on Thursday, some leaders of the party itself leaked the information to news media outlets that lawmaker Sumana Shrestha had tendered her resignation from the position of the Joint General Secretary of the party. Although the resignation only became public on Thursday, MP Shrestha had submitted it before the Nepali New Year.
She had reportedly tendered her resignation in consultation with party chairman Rabi Lamichhane and had also requested that it be accepted. However, after Lamichhane was taken back into custody on April 4, her resignation remained pending.
‘Media trial’
Shrestha had not made any public statements about her resignation. However, the matter suddenly came to light on Thursday, leaving even Shrestha herself surprised. She hadn’t expected her resignation to be made public or accepted, especially after party chairman Lamichhane was taken into custody.
Shrestha has accused some party leaders of trying to create a ‘media trial’ by leaking her resignation just before the meeting. She expressed her surprise over the sudden public release of her resignation and told Republica, “It was an attempt to create a media trial. The central committee meeting was scheduled for today, and my resignation was made public right before it — clearly an effort to spark a media trial.”
In her resignation letter, Shrestha stated that she had not been able to work as she had hoped. However, she said the reasons behind that should be explored within the party leadership and ranks. According to sources, there were mainly two reasons behind her decision to resign.
What’s in the role?
Sumana Shrestha to resign as RSP Joint General Secretary
MP Shrestha’s role as Joint General Secretary was only limited to a position without due importance. She mentioned this clearly in her resignation letter as well.
“Despite holding the position, important decisions of the party were being made without consulting the office-bearers and I was learning about key party matters not through official channels, but from other sources. Therefore, I felt my position had no real value,” she stated.
A leader from the RSP said that the party never discussed any of the agendas raised by Shrestha. The leader said, “I don’t recall any agenda proposed by Shrestha being discussed. Hardly anyone would even attend the meetings she called.”
According to the leader, Shrestha resigned because she didn’t have the environment to work effectively. “She has her own working style. She could have contributed better at a higher level of the party. But that kind of environment wasn’t there in the party, and her performance didn’t come through as expected. Eventually, she must have felt compelled to resign,” the leader added.
Shrestha also expressed similar concerns in her resignation letter. She had suggested that the party should take a clear stand in the parliament regarding the Prakriti Lamsal case. However, she mentioned that the party did not support her on the issue. During that time, she even boycotted a parliamentary session in protest.
Deteriorating relations
The second reason behind lawmaker Shrestha’s resignation was her reportedly deteriorating relationship with party chairman Rabi Lamichhane. Their relationship has been speculated to have started sinking around the time Lamichhane was arrested. He was taken into custody from the party headquarters in Baneshwor, Kathmandu, on October 18, 2024, and was immediately transferred to Pokhara.
After this, RSP leaders called for a protest centered in Pokhara. At that time, Shrestha and a few other leaders were against the protest. However, other leaders decided to go ahead with the protest and participated in it.
The protest went well for about 2-3 days, but it eventually lost momentum. Shrestha’s performance in opposing the protest appeared weak by nature. Following this, party president Lamichhane raised questions about her actions.
Since then, the relationship between Shrestha and Lamichhane has not improved. Shrestha even stopped speaking about Lamichhane. It was only on Wednesday that she finally spoke about him in the Nagarik Frontline.
When asked whether she thinks there has been any injustice in the fact that party chairman Lamichhane is currently in custody, she became evasive.
“This is a matter that has gone to the judiciary. In my opinion, it would not be appropriate to make too many comments on this. I have requested not to engage in this matter,” she replied.
Recently, leaders close to Lamichhane have reportedly told Shrestha not to remain in a position without work, according to one RSP leader.
“When she was the Minister of Education, some leaders had suggested she resign from the position of Joint General Secretary. However, this issue didn't come out at the time, but there was some pressure on her,” the leader said.
Earlier, leaders such as Shambhu Suskera had staged a protest at the party office. They raised slogans like “Either handle the party in a crisis, or step down.” At that time, Shrestha had asked who this slogan was against.
According to those leaders, the protest was organized under the direction of Acting General Secretary Kabindra Burlakoti, and it was specifically aimed at Shrestha.
