The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has warned of retaliation if ruling parties proceed with attempts to oust Deputy Speaker Indira Rana from her office.

Speaking to journalists after a secretariat meeting held at the parliamentary party office in Singha Durbar on Wednesday, Manish Jha, the party’s acting spokesperson, said the Deputy Speaker deserves a chance to clarify her actions.

The ruling alliance is preparing to table a motion in Parliament to oust the Deputy Speaker from the position amidst controversy over her alleged misuse of office. Earlier today, the Nepali Congress urged Deputy Speaker Rana to voluntarily vacate the position.

Jha questioned the timing of the ruling parties’ decision to bring up an incident that occurred 18 months ago.

“The signature on the letter is from 18 to 19 months ago. The letter wasn’t even registered at the relevant ministry nor reached its intended destination. It was not a request for a visa but for an interview date. The programme was fast approaching, so the letter was signed to request an earlier interview date for herself and her team,” said Jha.

“It was a mistake on her part. We are not claiming it was right, but why was it hidden for 18 months? Had it been concealed with a plan to use it for political manoeuvring?”

Jha said the party is closely monitoring the ruling coalition’s actions and will decide its next steps accordingly.

“We are in a wait-and-watch mode, but we are prepared to face the situation. We are fully prepared to resist and counter the actions as they unfold,” he said, adding that the party is ready to defend Deputy Speaker Rana if necessary.

Deputy Speaker Rana courted controversy after it emerged that she had requested visa interview dates from the US Embassy for individuals unrelated to her official role. On February 26 last year, Deputy Speaker Rana wrote a letter to the US Embassy in Kathmandu requesting visa interviews for herself and five others.