Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairperson Rabi Lamichhane has warned party leaders and cadres against becoming arrogant following the party’s electoral success, saying that they must remain grounded and live up to public expectations.
Addressing a program organized by the party’s Chitwan District Committee on Friday, Lamichhane said the party had begun behaving as though it had achieved far more than it actually had.
“The people trusted us, but our feet are no longer on the ground. We have become arrogant and intoxicated with power,” he said. “From the top to the bottom, we have become so carried away that we have stopped treating people as people. This cannot continue. Under no circumstances should we lose touch with the ground.”
He also cautioned party members against using their political connections to exert pressure on government officials and the police. Saying that RSP had won only one election, he stressed that electoral victory did not give its members the right to interfere in administrative affairs.
“Just because our colleagues were mistreated in the past does not mean we can now pressure the administration and police by saying, ‘I belong to the RP’,” he said. “That kind of conduct will not take us very far. We have won just one election; we are not people who have descended from another planet.”
Lamichhane said the party should accept criticism rather than attack those who point out its shortcomings. Taking responsibility for the criticism directed at RSP, he urged leaders and cadres to examine their conduct and rise above what he described as narrow political behaviour.
“Society has held up a mirror to us. When someone shows us our reflection, attacking the person holding the mirror is not the character of a political party,” he said. “I do not want to blame analysts, other political parties or the media. I take responsibility for this, and you must take responsibility too. We must rise above this narrow mentality and live up to the higher standards of political conduct expected by the people.”
Using an analogy of a student promoted directly to grade eight, Lamichhane said voters had given RSP a significant mandate, but the party still needed to learn lessons it had skipped along the way.
“The people considered RSP an outstanding party and admitted us directly into grade eight. But we cannot move from grade eight to grade nine without studying the classes we missed,” he said. “We did not enter politics merely to move from one election to another. We must now learn the lessons we have missed.”
Lamichhane also clarified the relationship between the party and the government, saying the two should function independently while maintaining regular communication and accountability.
He said the party would not automatically endorse every government decision, just as the government would not necessarily agree with everything the party does. The party, he added, could seek explanations or issue directions when it felt that certain government decisions required further clarification.
“The responsibility to justify any step taken by the government rests with the government itself,” he said, adding that the party would question decisions and seek greater clarity as part of its checks-and-balances role.
He also addressed the government’s recent decisions concerning changes in the security administration, saying the party would not dictate transfers or appointments of police officials and chief district officers.
“The party will absolutely not say, ‘Transfer the IGP, transfer the DIG, transfer the inspector or transfer the CDO’,” he said, adding that the government would explain the rationale behind its decisions.
Lamichhane said RSP did not intend to interfere with the government’s work merely to protect the party or keep the government in power. He said the party and the government would be allowed to perform their respective responsibilities independently.
“We are not in favour of keeping an additional chair beside us just to save the government or the party. We will allow the government to work independently, and the party will perform its own responsibilities independently,” he said. “If questions arise about the actions of either, or if clarification is needed, we will sit together and discuss them. We communicate almost every day.”
Rejecting suggestions of friction between the party and the government, Lamichhane said differences of opinion and requests for clarification should not be interpreted as internal conflict.
He said the perception that questioning government decisions amounted to a dispute between the two sides might have contributed to speculation about tensions.
“I completely dismiss any suggestion that there is hostility between the party and the government,” he said.
