KATHMANDU, Nov 1: Purna Basnet, a leader of the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) Nepal, has said Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chair Rabi Lamichhane is unable to exercise leadership over Prime Minister Balendra Shah.
Basnet said that although Lamichhane is technically Shah’s party chairman, the RSP has failed to direct the prime minister or correct the government’s course when it makes mistakes.
Basnet accused the government of making several controversial decisions, including Shah’s remarks in Parliament, demolishing informal settlements along riverbanks, scrapping student organisations and employees’ trade unions, restricting government advertisements to state-owned media, and imposing taxes on private education and healthcare services.
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He also questioned the reinstatement of Home Minister Sudan Gurung without making public the report of an investigation into allegations against him.
Basnet said the RSP and Lamichhane had remained silent and could do little beyond defending and supporting the government led by Shah.
“Whatever Balendra Shah does or says, the RSP and Rabi Lamichhane have no option but to accept it,” he said.
Commenting on the recent police crackdown on journalists, Basnet dismissed the RSP’s instruction to the government to investigate the arrests, saying, “The RSP does not run the government.”
