KATHMANDU: Following chaotic pro-monarchy protests, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli convened a meeting of pro-republican parties at Singha Durbar on Sunday, but the absence of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has sparked controversy.
The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and RPP Nepal, which advocate for a return to monarchy, were not invited. However, the Prime Minister’s secretariat claimed that all other parties, including the RSP, were invited.
Chairs with nameplates were arranged for all major republican parties, including the RSP, with a seat designated between CPN-UML’s senior vice-chair Ishwar Pokhrel and Janata Samajwadi Party’s chair Ashok Rai. Despite this, no RSP representatives attended the meeting.
Prime Minister Oli’s Press Advisor Prakash Silwal stated that the RSP was indeed invited but chose not to participate.
“We invited all parties except the RPP and RPP Nepal. The RSP received the invitation but did not show up,” Silwal told Khabarhub.
However, RSP leaders denied receiving any official invitation. Acting Chair Dol Prasad Aryal dismissed the claim as political theatrics.
“Neither a phone call, an email, nor a formal invitation was sent. The government staged a drama by placing a nameplate for us to create confusion,” Aryal said, challenging the Prime Minister’s Office to provide proof of the invitation.
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