Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) General Secretary Mukul Dhakal, in his political document prepared after a review tour of 32 districts, has claimed that the party is headed for an accident.

In his political report, Dhakal has pointed out things the two-year old party needs to rectify in order to avert such an accident.

After handing over the 32-page report to party president Rabi Lamichhane on Wednesday, Dhakal told the Post: “After the review tour, I have come to the conclusion that if the party continues to run as it does now, it will crash within a short period.”

The report Dhakal submitted to Lamichhane, who is the deputy prime minister and minister for home affairs, claims that the popularity of the party which emerged by winning 20 seats in the 2022 election has nosedived. Additionally, the report argues that Lamichhane’s popularity has also dipped.

Dhakal demanded that the party should make his report public.

But an RSP leader, who is also a federal lawmaker, says as the report deals with the party’s internal matters, it should first have been discussed within the RSP secretariat.

“General Secretary Dhakal made a mistake by going to the media before discussing the matter in the party,” the leader told the Post on the condition of anonymity. “Why Dhakal went to the media is a curious matter.”

However, Dhakal responded that as the general secretary, he came to the media for the first time since the party’s establishment two years ago.

“You should understand why the party is being criticised from various quarters today,” Dhakal told the Post. “The party has faced ruin due to someone’s loose talk. I haven’t done so.”

Dhakal’s apparent target was party president Lamichhane, who is often criticised for making unnecessary comments and promises.

Although the general secretary has submitted a report based on his observations during the review trip, the implementation of the findings will come only after the party’s secretariat meeting, said Kabindra Burlakoti, the organisational committee head and joint general secretary of the party.

“The general secretary personally prepared and submitted the report. No other leaders of the party were involved in its preparation,” Burlakoti told the Post. “The report might not be implemented as it is, and the party’s secretariat might amend it.”

Soon after the by-election debacle in April this year, a secretariat meeting of the party on May 3 decided to conduct a cross-country review tour under a Dhakal-led team.

The RSP had won one more seat in the House of Representatives from the by-elections held a year ago. But this year, the party’s candidate in Ilam-2 did not win enough votes and even lost the security deposit. RSP candidate Milan Limbu stood fourth when independent candidate Dikendra Singh Limbu won third-highest votes in the constituency.

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.

While seeing off Dhakal, Lamichhane expressed his belief that the suggestions and insights gathered during the tour would make the party stronger.

The party, which last year secured two out of three by-election seats in Chitwan-2 and Tanahun-1, was optimistic about giving the competitors a tough fight in Ilam-2 in April. While talking to the Post, party leaders engaged in the campaign were then confident of a good performance.

On the campaign trail of the 2022 election, RSP leaders, mainly its chair Lamichhane, fiercely criticised leaders of traditional parties and asked voters to remove them from power.

However, the RSP leaders then stood accused of working in collusion with the same old parties and their leaders, especially the UML. Additionally, when Lamichhane was linked to various scams, most recently the routing of the cooperative’s money to Gorkha Media Network, the party lost its lustre, leading to its poor performance in Ilam-2.

During the election campaign in Ilam-2, Lamichhane was also questioned over a conflict of interest, as his ministry was commanding the police force that was investigating such scams. The RSP joined the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government on March 4. RSP President Lamichhane won back the home ministry by driving a hard bargain. Some saw Lamichhane’s insistence on the home ministry as an attempt to try to influence the investigation into the cooperative scam.

General Secretary Dhakal claims that the party’s popularity has taken a beating, not only due to the cooperative scam but also because of the party leaders’ unfulfilled promises to voters.

Before joining the government on March 4, RSP leaders extensively discussed the ‘Mission 2084’ aimed at making the RSP the largest force in the next general elections. Observers said that the party had joined the government even when it is not in a position to honour its promises to the people.

Santosh Pariyar, chief whip of the party in the federal parliament, said he is not fully informed on the report submitted by the party general secretary.

“I can’t comment on the report without first going through it,” Pariyar told the Post. “We can say something concrete only after the report is formally presented at the party’s secretariat meeting.”

However, party insiders claim that the report criticises the party leadership’s rush for power without much care for the RSP’s original agenda.

Another party leader, who also asked not to be named, said the report suggests that the party should have allied with leaders such as Balendra Shah, the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, rather than joining hands with traditional forces like the UML and the Maoist Centre.

Shah is believed to be quietly laying the ground for launching his own political party, cashing in on the public anger against traditional forces.

Dhakal also acknowledged that he wants the party to better communicate with Mayor Shah. The RSP should explore the chances of cooperating with him even though the party does not endorse all of his recent activities, Dhakal told the Post.

“To start with, the RSP should cooperate with Shah on an agenda like evacuating illegally occupied land in slum areas,” Dhakal said. “By the end of 2083 BS [a year ahead of the 2027 election], the party should also consider allying with Shah.”

Despite being in the government, some RSP ministers and party leaders have voiced their dissatisfaction. Minister for Youth and Sports Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, addressing a function a few weeks ago, said that time had come to review the party’s participation in the government and its support for the coalition.

Shrestha even warned the party leaders to be ready to quit the government.

Claiming that they carry resignation letters all the time, Shrestha said, “As soon as we start feeling frustrated, we will put in our papers.”