Kathmandu, July 13: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane and Prime Minister Balen Shah held a meeting on Sunday morning, discussing recent political developments, governance, and social issues.
The meeting, which lasted for nearly three hours, took place at Lamichhane’s residence in Budhanilkantha.
According to a source at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, the two leaders discussed recent political developments, the completion of the party’s Central Committee, possible Cabinet reshuffle, and constitutional amendment.
The discussions also focused on making the government more effective and addressing the growing public frustration through long-term measures.
“This was a regular meeting between the party president and the prime minister. Sometimes they meet at the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar, and sometimes at the party president’s residence in Budhanilkantha,” the source said. “The discussion centered on improving the government’s performance and finding lasting solutions to growing public dissatisfaction.”
The source added that the recent self-immolation cases were not solely the result of the current government’s performance but reflected frustrations that had built up over many years.
“The incidents involving Ganesh Nepali and Ashwin Raut are the latest examples of that frustration. Regardless of the causes, lives have been lost, and families have suffered. The government has taken these incidents seriously,” the source said.
According to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, there are no immediate plans to reshuffle the Cabinet. The source also dismissed allegations that the Prime Minister’s Office had become overly powerful and was interfering in the work of ministries.
“The prime minister is not trying to centralize power. The goal is to strengthen the respective ministries so they can function more effectively,” the source said.
The meeting also touched on the appointment of 51 Central Committee members following the party’s first general convention in Chitwan. The Secretariat rejected speculation that the expansion of the committee had been delayed because the Balen faction had failed to submit its list of nominees.
“There is no rift between the two leaders. Government affairs continue to move forward through coordination between the party president and the prime minister,” the source said.
Lamichhane also raised the issue of landless squatters during the meeting, urging the government to adopt an immediate and humane approach to their management and rehabilitation.
The two leaders also held a brief discussion on the issue of constitutional amendment.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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