Kathmandu, June 3: After nearly a year and a half of internal conflict with party chairman Rajendra Lingden, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) General Secretary Dhawal Shamsher Rana has left the party and begun preparations to launch a new political force alongside royalist figures, including Durga Prasai.
The split follows months of escalating tensions between Rana and Lingden over party leadership, internal democracy, organizational control and the party’s political direction.
The rift became public in January 2025 when Rana presented a separate six-page political report to the party’s Central Committee. The document sharply criticized Lingden’s leadership style and accused him of ignoring party statutes and convention mandates.
Rana’s dissatisfaction dated back to October 2024, when Lingden removed him as head of the party’s Organization Department while he was undergoing medical treatment. Rana questioned whether illness should become grounds for losing party responsibilities and publicly challenged the decision.
Relations continued to deteriorate after Lingden appointed Vice Chairman Buddhiman Tamang to the post. Rana’s supporters viewed the move as politically motivated and evidence of growing centralization within the party.
Another major disagreement centered on RPP’s participation in the government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Rana argued that joining the coalition went against party commitments and weakened RPP’s standing among supporters. He repeatedly accused Lingden of being overly focused on power and government positions.
Tensions worsened during the royalist movement of March 2025. Rana and senior vice chairman Rabindra Mishra were arrested during protests and later faced legal proceedings. Critics inside the party accused Lingden of failing to strongly defend detained leaders.
The dispute deepened further after Lingden removed several leaders aligned with Rana and took disciplinary action against others involved in royalist campaigns outside the party structure. Rana and his allies repeatedly demanded those decisions be reversed, but no compromise was reached.
A separate source of conflict involved the party’s delayed general convention. Rana pushed for an immediate convention, arguing that the leadership’s term was ending. Lingden, citing provisions in the party statute, extended the tenure by six months and postponed the gathering.
Following disappointing results in local elections, internal criticism intensified. Several leaders resigned from party positions, while Rana demanded a convention timetable and suggested that an independent figure oversee the process. He also signaled that he might not participate if the convention remained under Lingden’s control.
Although the party’s executive committee later tasked Rana and others with preparing a convention schedule, he instead announced his departure from RPP on May 31.
According to leaders close to him, Rana had already lost confidence that reforms were possible under the current leadership. They claim around 60 RPP central committee members and several royalist groups have been in discussions about forming a new party.
Rana is reportedly consulting with Prasai and leaders from various monarchist organizations to build what supporters describe as a more credible nationalist and royalist alternative. His allies argue that many voters who support monarchy and Hindu statehood no longer trust RPP and are looking for a new political vehicle.
Two days after Rana’s exit, Lingden publicly appealed to him to reconsider and return to the party. He said he was surprised by the decision and urged Rana to join the convention process. Lingden also announced that the party’s Central Committee would meet later this month to finalize a convention timetable.
Despite the appeal, Rana appears determined to move ahead. Leaders close to him say preparations are underway for a new party that will take a harder royalist line and seek to unite monarchist forces that have become fragmented in recent years.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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