Kathmandu — Central Committee member of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Dr. Tosima Karki, has accused some within her party of spreading false narratives against her after she raised the issue of party reform and reorganization.
In an interview with , Dr. Karki said that while traditional political parties are losing relevance, she has been calling for the RSP to rebuild itself by including independent and alternative voices.
“If our party truly stands against corruption and in favor of good governance, it must open its doors to people with independent and alternative perspectives,” she said. “Instead of abandoning the politics of alternatives, we should strive to become a platform that unites moderate and reform-oriented politics.”
Structural Reform More Important Than Leadership Change
According to Dr. Karki, the RSP has increasingly become personality-centered rather than issue-driven, leading to a series of poor decisions. “The party has lost focus on people’s concerns and become entangled in individual interests,” she remarked. “We need to reorganize the leadership through a general convention and move forward as a true alternative force.”
She said her call for organizational review was misinterpreted as an attack against party chairperson Rabi Lamichhane. “My demand for ideological and organizational review has been exaggerated and distorted,” Karki said. “Some are trying to weaken the reform agenda by portraying it as an attempt to remove the party chair.”
Pressure Mounts After Sumana Shrestha’s Exit
Dr. Karki claimed that after Sumana Shrestha resigned from the RSP, she herself became a target of online criticism and character attacks.“Since Sumana’s departure, people have been spreading narratives suggesting that I am also planning to leave the party,” she said. “Such behavior attacks my dignity and discourages anyone with a different viewpoint or reformist mindset.”
Declined Secretariat Role and Criticism of Hasty Decisions
Recently, the RSP decided to expand its secretariat by including all directly elected lawmakers. However, Dr. Karki refused to join. “I was offered the position, but I declined,” she confirmed. “A party-wide extended meeting is scheduled in just two weeks, so what was the urgency to expand the secretariat right now?”
According to her, the upcoming extended meeting from November 7 to 9 (Kartik 21–23) seems more focused on collecting feedback than addressing genuine reform. “Representatives from across districts are spending their own money to attend,” she said. “They shouldn’t just listen to reports and give feedback—they must be empowered to accept, reject, or amend the organizational proposals.”
