The Rastriya Swatantra Party has expelled its founding general secretary Mukul Dhakal from the party.

The party’s central committee meeting on Tuesday ousted Dhakal from the general membership on the recommendation of the party’s disciplinary commission, said a leader.

Earlier on June 9, the party’s central committee relieved Dhakal of all his party duties, including founding general secretary, spokesperson, and central committee member.

The move came after the party’s disciplinary commission sought action against Dhakal, accusing him of incompetence and indiscipline, indecent and chaotic conduct, and violating party rules.

Dhakal was suspended from the position of general secretary and party spokesperson for a week on July 3 over the same concerns.

Meanwhile, Dhakal took to X, saying he had been expelled from the Rabi Lamichhane Club, not the party.

“I was expelled from the club, not the Rastriya Swatantra Party. The club does not have the authority to expel anyone from the party. Rabi Lamichhane should resign from general membership on moral grounds after the judicial body overturns the club’s action. Although I cannot expect morality from someone as morally corrupt as Rabi Lamichhane.”

“Rabi Lamichhane has been making speeches that mislead the public regarding the cooperative scandal, dismissing the evidence against him as fake. By doing so, he is attempting to disrupt the judicial process. The concerned authorities should take note. Once again, a morally corrupt Rabi should be questioned on his ethics. He should refrain from spreading misinformation about an ongoing investigation—it does not suit a former home minister.”

Soon after the RSP faced a sobering loss in the Ilam by-election in April this year, the party’s secretariat meeting on May 3 decided to conduct a cross-country review tour under a Dhakal-led team.

Dhakal commenced the journey on May 19 with the objective of identifying the party’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to its policies, decisions, and organisational structure.

In his political document, prepared after a review tour of 38 districts, Dhakal claimed that the party was headed for a disaster if it did not rectify its mistake.

The review report also criticised the arbitrary nature of the party’s operations, President Lamichhane, and urged making the party bigger than one that, critics say, is built around a single leader’s image, among other things.

On July 3, the party’s central committee discussed Dhakal’s review report. While Dhakal demanded that the meeting be broadcast live on social media, the members unanimously rejected the idea, leaving Dhakal further miffed.

Moreover, that same day, Dhakal publicly criticised Lamichhane in a social media post after the party chief did not allow him to present the proposal he prepared based on the review tour at the meeting.

“During the party secretariat meeting yesterday [July 3], I was told to submit a proposal based on the review report,” Dhakal then said. “I had prepared the written proposal but the party president did not allow me to submit it today.”

He had also said he was promised that he would be allowed to share his thoughts during the central committee meeting. “But the party president did not allow me to do so either,” Dhakal said.

The central committee meeting termed the review report prepared by Dhakal an incomplete document.