Rabi and Gagan Trade Barbs at Congress Convention; First “Favor” Remains Unspecified

Dragon Media News Desk

Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane shared the stage at the opening of the Congress’s 15th General Convention. Their light-hearted exchanges touched on their past relationship, political differences and electoral history, drawing laughter and applause from the audience.

Opening his remarks, Lamichhane said, “Jai Nepal—not for the party, but for the country.” He then criticized the Congress for, in his view, favouring wealthy people over loyal party workers and giving proportional representation seats to its associates. Addressing Thapa, he said, “If Gagan-ji had become party president at 40 rather than 50, and had not directed party workers to abandon the tree symbol and vote for another symbol, I might have been in the Congress too.”

Lamichhane also joked that some Congress members may have voted for the RSP in the previous election. At the end of his speech, he advised Thapa not to waste energy trying to appease dissatisfied leaders, calling the advice another “favor” to him. He did not say what the first favor had been.

According to Nepal Press, some have interpreted the RSP’s decision not to field a candidate in Kathmandu Constituency No. 4 in the 2022 House of Representatives election as Lamichhane’s first favor to Thapa. Thapa won the seat in that election.

In response, Thapa noted that several RSP leaders and parliament members had come from the Congress. “You said some Congress members may have voted for the bell. If you look inside Parliament, we have trained and sent 40 to 50 of your parliament members,” he said. Referring to RSP Vice President Swarnim Wagle and other leaders who had previously been associated with the Congress, Thapa quipped that his party had taught them well before they joined the RSP.

The two leaders’ acquaintance dates back about 25 years, according to the report. Both worked as radio presenters. Their relationship remained cordial for some time after Lamichhane founded the RSP, but public disagreements grew after allegations involving cooperatives and calls for a parliamentary investigation. In recent months, however, both leaders have attended events hosted by each other’s parties.