The Nepali Congress has called rumours of an imminent arrest of its president, Gagan Thapa, a political plot to silence the opposition. In a statement after a meeting in Sanepa on Thursday, the party said government-protected groups were spreading the rumours in response to Thapa’s criticism of the government.

“This is part of a political conspiracy. Fabricated allegations are being spread against the Congress at the behest of unauthorised individuals, followed by rumours of plans to arrest the party leadership. Party members are also being placed under surveillance and intimidated through various means. These actions are all part of the same plot,” the party said in its statement following an office-bearers meeting. “The unfolding events are exposing those behind the plot, their methods and their motives. Every citizen has a fundamental right to question, and the Nepali Congress will resist any attempt to silence them.”

The party urged its members to ignore the rumours and stay focused on public concerns, vowing to oppose any attempt to silence critics of the government.

Rumours of Thapa’s impending arrest have circulated for three days since an audio recording emerged alleging that money had been paid to secure official recognition for his faction of the Congress. The recording, purportedly of a statement made to police by fixer Inam Sapkota, surfaced on Monday. It alleged that Rs180 million had been paid to secure recognition for the Thapa-led faction, with deals involving the Election Commission and Supreme Court justices. The recording also suggested that former chief justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana had arranged the payments.

The rumours of Thapa’s possible arrest gained traction from Wednesday morning, with Congress leaders expressing concern that plainclothes police personnel had been keeping watch around his residence and his office at Gyaneshwar, where he meets party members. Some leaders said they feared the police could move against him at any time.

Amid the speculation, Thapa and other party office-bearers held an informal meeting at the Sanepa headquarters on Thursday. They had also met on Wednesday.

Congress joint general secretary Prakash Rasaili said the party would take up the issue in Parliament and its committees, accusing government-protected individuals of spreading the rumours. “We conclude that these rumours are being spread by people enjoying the government’s protection. We will oppose them at every level,” he said.

In a video statement released on Thursday, Thapa rejected allegations of financial dealings in the fight for the party’s official recognition and called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the audio recording.

Thapa said not a single rupee had changed hands in the legal and political battle over the party’s legitimacy. “There was no financial transaction, not even a single rupee, nor any wrongdoing in our political and legal fight for the party’s recognition,” he said. “We do not need to publicly respond to allegations based on an audio recording attributed to Inam Sapkota, who is in custody. The issue has now moved beyond us. The questions should be directed at those who need to answer them. It is the responsibility of the media and others concerned to pursue those answers.”

Thapa accused the government of using the allegations to intimidate the opposition and deter scrutiny. “We will not stay silent as democratic rights are eroded and institutions weakened. Challenging these moves is our duty. The rumours began only after we started questioning the government. They will not silence us or stop us from demanding accountability,” he said.

Thapa said his integrity had helped him withstand past political battles and continued to be his strongest defence against the latest allegations. “I have endured because I have a clear conscience. My strength lies in knowing that I have done nothing wrong and have always stood by what is right,” he said.

Thapa said the rumours would not deter him from holding the government to account. “Democracy cannot survive without scrutiny, and a country cannot progress without people questioning those in power. The challenge now is to ensure that this right is not lost,” he said.

Congress General Secretary Udaya Shumsher Rana said there were not only rumours suggesting that Thapa could be arrested. He speculated that one reason for removing Dan Bahadur Karki as inspector general of police may have been his refusal to arrest the Congress chief.

Accusing the government of trying to silence dissent, from the press to the political opposition, Rana said the party would not be intimidated.

“First, they entered media houses and arrested journalists to silence the press. They created an atmosphere of fear among media organisations. Now, the government appears intent on arresting our party president to silence the opposition, as if to say that he is the only one left to speak out. We believe the government is heading down a self-destructive path,” Rana told Kantipur.

Kantipur separately spoke to three people close to Thapa. All three said they had also heard about the possibility of his arrest and were trying to establish more details. They said plainclothes police personnel had been conducting surveillance around Thapa’s residence and key places where he meets party members over the past two days.

One of the leaders said the surveillance had heightened concerns that an arrest could be imminent.

“This has increased the fear that he could be arrested. If they cannot do it today, they may do it tomorrow. It is difficult to predict what the government might do,” the leader said.

Asked whether the government was preparing to arrest Thapa, a member of Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s secretariat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the office had no information about such a plan. “Not everything necessarily comes to the prime minister’s office. We have no information about this either. It would be better to check with the police,” the official said.

Police spokesperson Abinarayan Kafle also said he had no information about any plan to arrest the Congress president. “We have no information about this and have no comment,” he said. Asked whether plainclothes police had been deployed around Thapa’s residence and office, Kafle replied: “I don’t know where you heard this. We have no information about the matter.

A growing political feud

Thapa has repeatedly criticised the government’s performance since the Congress’s 15th general convention. Prime Minister Balendra Shah and Thapa have since traded barbs, with Thapa questioning the government at public events and Shah responding through social media.

On October 4, Thapa turned the symbolism of Khula Manch against the government, saying the country needed an open Parliament more than an open public square. “We should be talking about opening up Parliament first. Instead, it remains shut,” he said. 

Prime Minister Shah responded on social media that night: “Thankfully, Khula Manch has been renovated. The new party can now hold programmes there and criticise us.”

His remark was also interpreted as an attempt to portray the Thapa-led Congress as the new party, in contrast to the Congress under former president Sher Bahadur Deuba, which he appeared to cast as the old establishment.

Thapa continued to challenge the government’s conduct at a gathering at the party’s Sanepa headquarters last Sunday, saying the Congress could no longer remain silent. His remarks came against the backdrop of police entering media houses and detaining journalists, as well as the detention of officials involved in the Marin Diversion Project amid pressure to cancel its tender process.

Shah responded with another social media post that night: “When the time is right, everyone will face their reckoning. A few people should not dream that they can escape.”

The following day, an audio recording said to be from Sapkota’s statement to police surfaced, alleging that Rs180 million had been paid to secure official recognition for the Thapa-led Congress. Later on Monday, Thapa posted a message on Facebook, referring to the time and the allegations.

“It is now exactly 18:00. Many have tried to intimidate me, but I am not easily frightened,” he wrote.

At its meeting on Wednesday, the Congress also condemned what it described as an attempt to discredit the Election Commission, the Supreme Court, and party representatives by suggesting that decisions made in accordance with the Constitution, the law, and established procedures had been influenced by financial transactions.

Senior vice-president Bishwa Prakash Sharma said the party’s special convention held in January 2026 had complied with its statute. The Election Commission had updated its records accordingly, and the Supreme Court had also upheld the convention’s legitimacy, he said.

The Congress said it would pursue legal action against those seeking to tarnish the reputation of the party and its leadership. It has assigned vice-president Pushpa Bhusal to initiate the necessary legal proceedings.