RSP leaders urge unity and warn against factionalism at party convention

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is poised to unanimously elect its chairperson and senior leader at its general convention underway in Chitwan. While the top posts are expected to be filled by consensus, competition is intensifying for other significant roles within the 99-member central committee.

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We must remember what I wrote in the political report presented at the Jaleshwar meeting in 2023. If the RSP falls, it will be because it stumbled over its own feet. No external force is powerful enough to bring this party down. Today is the time to take that warning even more seriously.

Party leaders anticipate a consensus on the leadership, with party chair Rabi Lamichhane and senior leader and Prime Minister Balendra Shah likely to be endorsed without opposition. However, elections are anticipated for several other key positions, including vice-chair, general secretary, and joint general secretary.

In his address at the convention's inaugural session on Sunday, Lamichhane urged delegates to ensure that competition remains healthy and transparent. He cautioned party members against forming factions in pursuit of power, arguing that such practices have weakened Nepal's established political parties. "We must remember what I wrote in the political report presented at the Jaleshwar meeting in 2023," Lamichhane stated. "If the RSP falls, it will be because it stumbled over its own feet. No external force is powerful enough to bring this party down. Today is the time to take that warning even more seriously."

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Many of you may be aspiring for central committee membership or office bearer positions. If you want to become good leaders and good politicians, you must win the trust and affection of the people. The support of a small group is not enough. Don’t run after groups and factions.

Prime Minister Shah echoed these concerns, appealing to delegates not to replicate the culture of factional politics that has long characterized mainstream parties. "Many of you may be aspiring for central committee membership or office bearer positions," Shah said. "If you want to become good leaders and good politicians, you must win the trust and affection of the people. The support of a small group is not enough. Don’t run after groups and factions." He further advised leaders to avoid sowing "seeds of division" that could fracture the party.

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He added that leaders should avoid sowing ‘the seeds of division’ that could one day grow into a tree capable of splitting the party apart. “We have seen what happens when such seeds are allowed to grow. We must learn from the mistakes of older parties,” said Shah.

Lamichhane reinforced this message, noting a tendency in Nepali politics where leaders unable to gain broad public support seek advancement through narrow alliances and internal groupings. "We should not sow those seeds," he warned. "If factionalism grows and bears fruit, that fruit will be poisonous. As our senior leader said, we may one day be forced to cut down the very tree we nurtured." The convention occurs at a critical juncture for the RSP, which emerged as a significant political force after the March 5 general elections, promising clean governance and accountability. The party has consistently emphasized internal democracy and merit-based leadership selection, aiming to differentiate itself from rivals often criticized for internal rivalries.

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We should not sow those seeds. If factionalism grows and bears fruit, that fruit will be poisonous. As our senior leader said, we may one day be forced to cut down the very tree we nurtured.