20/06/2026
The Years of RSP's Conception...
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It is often said that the Rastriya Swatantra Party - RSP was born from public dissatisfaction. The history most people know is that Rabi Lamichhane founded the party based on the popularity he gained through the television program `Sidha Kura Janata Sanga´. That is one part of the story. But before that, many other events were taking place, and they have rarely been discussed.
A young man spent six years of his youth in the name of the state. A mission that was expected to be completed in three months eventually took six years.
On Asar 7, 2061 BS, a social organization called Volunteer Association for Disabled was registered at the Kathmandu District Administration Office. On Asar 7, 2079 BS, the same organization was transformed into a political party and announced as the Rashtriya Swatanra Party (RSP). Ten days later, it was officially registered with the Election Commission.
When I entered Central Jail in the first week of Baisakh 2073 BS, I never imagined that the journey would have such a long political and social impact. At that time, my focus was only on prison reform, legal reform, and dialogue with the state. But my 2,190-day journey through Sundhara, Nakkhu, and Bhimphedi prisons led me to a very different conclusion.
Nepal had already adopted a new constitution. However, the Madhesh movement was ongoing, and the Indian blockade had pushed the country into crisis. KP Sharma Oli was Prime Minister, while Baburam Bhattarai had already started a campaign for alternative politics.
During that period, a complaint was registered through the Prime Minister's Office under the "Hello Sarkar" system regarding Koshi Barrack security personnel and local landless communities. The issue reached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and eventually the Indian Embassy. When the blockade was lifted, it strengthened my belief that even the voice of an ordinary citizen could reach important state institutions and contribute to change.
After submitting proof that my organization was legally registered, I had already been acquitted in a previous case. According to the law, anyone dissatisfied with the verdict should have appealed to a higher court. Instead, a similar case was filed again on the claim that the organization was not registered.
That incident raised serious questions about the behavior of the state, the justice system, and the implementation of law. It was then that an ordinary citizen decided to challenge the state from inside prison and to transform a social organization into a political movement aimed at reform.
My questions were not only about my own case. Why were prisons becoming places that produced crime instead of correcting it? Why was the law not applied equally to everyone?
Letters were continuously sent to Hello Sarkar, the Ministry of Home Affairs, administrative offices, courts, and media organizations. Those letters were a form of dialogue between a citizen and the state. Some were complaints, some were suggestions, and some were questions. But all of them had one purpose: reform.
Letters sent from Central Jail and Nakkhu Prison continued to raise issues of legal reform, prison reform, restorative justice, and equal implementation of the law.
On Bhadra 1, 2075 BS, Nepal's new Criminal Code came into effect. I do not claim credit for that change, but I believe those debates, pressures, and public voices were a small part of the process.
After Central Jail, the journey continued in Nakkhu Prison. Those two years taught me the meaning of organization, leadership, and collective effort. During that period, Volunteer Association for Disabled became Volunteer Association for Peoples.
It was more than a name change. It was a change in thinking. It was a journey from "I" to "We."
Later came the Bhimphedi chapter. Between September 2018 and March 2021, countless letters were written. Some were addressed to Singha Durbar, some to courts and government offices, and some to the television program Sidha Kura Janata Sanga.
Those letters, written from a prison cell, were simply a citizen's conversation with the state.
Some of the questions raised from Bhimphedi Prison gradually became topics of public debate. Issues of justice, equality, accountability, and reform began to move beyond prison walls and into society.
In March 2022, a gathering of former prisoners was held at Indreni Foodland in Baneshwor. During that meeting, discussions took place about forming a new political party. The name "Rastriya Swatantra Party" was proposed. Dr. Mukul Dhakal and former police officer Sarbendra Khanal were among those present.
Through further discussions involving Dr. Mukul Dhakal, Ravi Lamichhane, and others, the election symbol "Bell" was selected as a symbol to awaken citizens, while the color blue was chosen to represent an open and independent sky.
The proposal for the Bell symbol came largely through Ravi Lamichhane's initiative. The blue color was chosen by people who had spent long years inside prison.
A task force coordinated by Dr. Mukul Dhakal prepared the party constitution. On June 21, 2022, Ravi Lamichhane officially announced the party at the National Assembly Hall in Kathmandu.
The birth of RSP was not a one-day event. It was the result of years of dissatisfaction, demands for reform, dialogue with the state, alternative thinking, and growing civic awareness.
That is why the history of the party does not begin on the day it was announced. Its story began much earlier.
If we are members of this party today, we should understand its history. Without understanding history, politics can lose direction. Without understanding sacrifice, leadership can lose purpose.
The first General Convention of RSP will be held on Asar 7, 8, and 9. This convention is not only about choosing leaders. It is also an opportunity to continue the journey from "I" to "We."
An individual may begin a journey, but history is always written by collective effort.
Ideas are greater than parties. People are greater than ideas. And nothing is greater than the people.
