Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairperson Rabi Lamichhane was aware that Prime Minister Balendra Shah was dissatisfied with outgoing Industry Minister Gauri Kumari Yadav, but was not informed that Shah had decided to remove her and appoint Deepak Sah as her replacement.
According to sources at both the Prime Minister’s Office and the RSP, Lamichhane learned about Sah’s appointment only shortly before the new minister was sworn in.
Yadav had previously entered the Cabinet from Lamichhane’s quota within the ruling party. While Lamichhane reportedly had no objection to the prime minister's constitutional authority to appoint or remove ministers, he is said to have questioned why the party chair was not consulted before such a significant political decision.
RSP sources said Lamichhane had expected to be involved in the selection process and was prepared to recommend Parliamentary Party Deputy Leader Ganesh Parajuli for the position.
However, the Industry Ministry ultimately went to Deepak Sah, who is aligned with the Shah camp.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Shah had previously discussed concerns regarding Yadav’s performance with Lamichhane, who had agreed that she should be removed following recent developments.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Yadav failed to adequately address the effects of the gas and petroleum crisis linked to the US-Iran war in West Asia, which also affected Nepal.
Sources close to Shah said the government had attempted to improve Yadav’s performance through administrative changes, but those efforts did not produce the desired results. Her recent public remarks also reportedly contributed to the decision to remove her.
The episode has highlighted growing questions about the balance of power between Prime Minister Shah and RSP Chair Lamichhane.
Although Shah heads the government and has the authority to select Cabinet members, Lamichhane remains the chairperson of the ruling party. The decision to appoint Sah without informing Lamichhane beforehand has therefore attracted attention within the RSP.
The issue also comes amid continuing speculation over the relationship between the two senior RSP leaders. Lamichhane and Shah have publicly maintained that there is no serious rift between them, but recent developments have repeatedly raised questions about their respective influence over government decisions.
For now, the appointment of Sah has added another layer to the debate over how power and authority are being shared within Nepal’s ruling party.
Tags: Rabi Lamichhane, Balendra Shah, Deepak Sah, Gauri Kumari Yadav, RSP, Nepal Politics, Cabinet Reshuffle, Nepal Government
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