KATHMANDU: Ashok Kumar Rai, Chairman of the recently formed Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP), defended the decision to split from JSP Nepal, citing undemocratic and arbitrary behavior from party chairman Upendra Yadav as the catalyst.

Rai, speaking at a press conference on Thursday to announce the split and the formation of the new political entity, asserted that Yadav’s failure to transparently manage the party and his discriminatory treatment of party cadres had led to the division.

Rai emphasized that Yadav’s shortcomings in upholding internal democracy and his reluctance to empower the party’s provincial committees had created ideological and theoretical divergences that made it impossible for them to continue within the same party.

General Secretary Istiyak Rai accused Upendra Yadav of acting against the party’s official decisions, further cementing their stance for the split.

The new party, according to Chairman Rai, will prioritize collective leadership and inclusive representation, with federal socialism as its guiding principle.

Organizational structures will lean towards democratic decentralization.

Various party leaders including Rajendra Shrestha, Pradip Yadav, Renu Yadav, Birendra Mahato, Sushila Shrestha, and Ranju Jha were present at the press conference to support the announcement.