Sumana Shrestha of the National Independent Party has resigned from the post of joint general minister. She submitted her resignation saying that one person should apply one position in the party. It is said that Shrestha's resignation as joint general minister will be discussed in Thursday's meeting of the RSP central committee.

Shrestha said that after the discussion, acting chairman DP Aryal replied that the decision to accept/reject the resignation would be taken. She submitted her resignation to Speaker Ravi Lamichhane 15 days ago. However, no further action was taken regarding Shrestha's resignation after he was arrested by the order of the High Court in Lamichhane co-operative fraud.

Kavindra Burlakoti is acting general minister of RSVP while Bipin Acharya is joint general minister along with Sumana. Last time, Chairman Lamichhane said that the party will be restructured and asked the leaders to be ready for that. Since that time, Shrestha has been saying that she will resign from the post and will be active in law making.

Shrestha has mainly questioned the working style of the party, division of work and other issues. In her resignation letter, Shrestha raised issues such as one person having to implement one position, one person not being able to handle two full-time responsibilities, the party's ability to deliver even though the people have high expectations, many ritualistic procedures and taking important decisions without consulting officials. 

Despite resigning from the post of Joint Chief Minister, she has made it clear that she has not abandoned the RSVP. She has pointed out the reasons for her resignation. She said, "One person, one position - the longing for a position is a custom created by the old parties of Nepal and, more to the point, Nepali society." When I take on another important party responsibility as a federal MP, it sends a message that nothing can be done without a position, which I deeply disagree with. It is not acceptable for me to say that we are different from other parties, but the attitude remains the same.

He believes that the party's performance is not as strong as expected because the people have high hopes that a new party will get the country out of the chaos by giving it an unprecedented public vote in the previous election. Shrestha has mentioned in her resignation letter that she failed to tear the 'label' of co-operative fraud imposed on the party by the old party. 

She has expressed her displeasure with the party's working style as 'ceremonial'. In many ritualistic processes, sitting order, speaking order, etc. are given more importance than necessary to the officials. Such a culture discourages creative and working workers' she mentioned. She has also pointed out the need to discuss the merits and demerits of what was said in the party rather than who spoke, and the need to give importance to everyone's opinion regardless of age or position. 

She has expressed displeasure that important decisions are taken without consulting officials. He said that he felt that the position had no weight when he learned about the important decisions of the party not officially but from other sources.

"Even as an official, I felt that important issues and decisions related to the party should be known from other sources and not from official sources, so I felt that there was no weight even after being given the position," she said.

'It was brought out saying let's hold it'

Sumana Shrestha, RSVP MP

How will your resignation process proceed?

Well, it was thought that Thursday's central committee meeting would pass it, but it didn't happen. Just came up in the discussion. I have not been asked anything. It would have been fun to know that the morning person brought out the news.

Why did you resign?

I have also put it on the Viber group of the party after the public interest about the resignation, so that everyone can read it. My views on that are clear. In the previous national meeting of the party, I also expressed my opinion about the future leadership of the party and the transfer of the system. At that time, I said, there should not be a practice of saying come but not leaving the place. It was in that context that I thought about this matter. After Raviji was arrested, it turned out to be the wrong time and nothing was done about it. Later, I said before presiding over the meeting that after Raviji's return, a movement had to be brought on this matter. While conducting the convention, I had to bring in capable people from within the party, and secondly, what I did not understand, I did not go around doing the same thing, but I said that it happened like the leader of the old party.

Is your theoretical concept that the old leadership should be replaced, a new leadership should come?

one that happened. Even when I was a minister, I was the joint chief minister. At that time, I did not even think about the work of the Joint Chief Minister. I only played the role of a minister. At that time, no one else did the work that the joint general minister should do, so I thought from experience and it was time to make this decision. I have taken this decision from the experience that one person takes too many positions and nothing can be done.

But when your resignation comes when the party chairman is in prison or the party is going through difficult times, did you just think of it as you said? Doesn't this further polarize the party?

I resigned before the arrest of the party chairman. During the conversation before his arrest, he said that he would put the letter of approval in this letter. After the arrest, I made a special request to the Acting Chairman DP Aryal saying, "Let's put this issue on hold, this is the bad timing". But how was this matter brought out? Whoever brought this out, it's the wrong time for everyone.