PM's Meeting With Bagmati MPs: Ravi Lamichhane Absent Amid Conflict Rumors

KATHMANDU. Prime Minister Balendra Shah (Balen) held a discussion with the Members of Parliament (MPs) of Bagmati Province on Monday. The meeting, organized in the afternoon at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Singha Durbar, focused on the development, planning, and contemporary political issues of Bagmati Province.

Immediately after assuming office, Shah has initiated a series of separate discussions with MPs from various provinces. In this sequence, despite the invitation to the Bagmati Province MPs, the President of the Rastriya Swatantra Party and MP, Ravi Lamichhane, remained absent from the meeting.

What does Lamichhane’s absence signify?

Ravi Lamichhane’s absence from this important strategic and introductory discussion organized by the Prime Minister is not being viewed normally in political circles. Analysts understand that it primarily indicates a political 'conflict' and growing distance.

Lamichhane’s absence points toward the following issues:

Dissatisfaction after assuming power: This gives a clear signal that internal dissatisfaction regarding the power equation or working style between Prime Minister Balen Shah and Ravi Lamichhane may have reached a peak.

Policy or Leadership Clash: The absence of a significant national figure in a coordination meeting with provincial MPs shows a disagreement on policy or power-sharing and the creation of a confrontational situation between the two leaders.

Coldness in Alliance or Collaboration: Bagmati Province is considered highly sensitive in terms of central politics. Boycotting or not attending such an important discussion suggests a cooling of internal cooperation within the government and increases the possibility of upheaval in the political equation in the coming days.

The Prime Minister’s Secretariat has not disclosed the official reason for Lamichhane’s absence; however, in the political market, this is being interpreted as a clear standard of the declared/undeclared 'tussle' and political conflict that has begun between Balen and Ravi.