An Attempt to Read Between the Lines from Outgoing Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane's Presser
Making sense of events leading up to a month into tackling Nepal's Home Affairs
In politics, it’s not an easy task for a newcomer to be elected—that too on the back of a newly formed party. Ending up having the reins of nation’s Home Affairs is nothing short of a spectacle. Rabi Lamichhane and his party’s political trajectory was just that. It’s like building a rocket designed for lower orbit earth missions but end up with a rocket engine capable to orbit way past the ionosphere. Perhaps getting a look-in to other galaxies and perplexed by their appearance in various forms. Must be quite a first hand look inside power corridors.
In the first few weeks of this 31 day tenure as a Home Minister Yeti airlines flight YT691 crashed in Pokhara 1on the day of religious Hindu festival holiday, a man attempted self immolation in front of the Nepal’s parliament building and died followed by two more attempts in Pokhara in a matter of a few days. Readers should understand this, Nepalis are never known for self-immolation, at least in recent modern history.2 The last reported attempt to self-immolation in Nepal was in 2013 by Buddhist Monks in Nepal. There was zero case of self-immolation attempt between 2013 and 2023.
The one who recently self-immolated in one of the busiest areas of Kathmandu Valley, acutely described his intentions via FB post a day before setting himself on fire blaming several business houses, his inability to pay back bank loans, under pressure from banks, unfair taxes and not succeeding in Nepal. What struck us was the finer details he managed to jot down succinctly, choosing reasons for ending his life and does not once appear to be a man in stress. In fact, if you go through the note it appears as if all questionable bases were covered going so deep in explaining his failed attempt to go abroad again3 to make money and pay incurred debts. While in the hospital, then Cabinet Minister Dr. Toshima Karki, managed to visit the victim and exchange few words. His last audible words: Tell Ravi sir too! (implying to pass the message to the then HM Rabi Lamichanne)
At this point, it would be worthwhile to mention that Nepal Rashtra Bank Governor, Maha Adhikari, a few days ago dubbed non-payment of loans of several business house as a financial crime when few business houses were beginning to make demands threatening to hit the streets and agitate if their demands were not met. We’re not sure which business houses the message was intended for but the whole fiasco appears as if the business houses have managed to strike back using unaware Nepalis in a tragedy to paint a grim situation in Nepal where people are under financial stress and in the brink of mass suicide.
Before resignation there was news of human trafficking using East Nepal borders and arrests made from a certain territory in India using multiple borders adjacent to West Bengal and Bihar transporting them all the way to Rajasthan4. The routes taken and international airport chosen in RJ sheds light on potential involvement of local political powers of both nations. Why the closest Nepal borders adjacent to UP and UK were not used is best left to the judgement of able investigation agencies in both nations. This investigation will likely involve international agencies and will take some time to unravel the nodes. Local ground agents recently got nabbed when actual trafficking at source happened ~3-4 months ago during Nepal’s election. Nepal’s guardians were noticed traversing across the nation pre and post election around the same time the trafficking incident took place. Both the nations are now making huge progress to minimize trafficking with Nepal’s guardians clearly leading from the front with active ground movements and sounding alarm bells on intelligence inputs they get.
That is quite a long preamble leading up to current political fiasco. Anyways, we have intentionally left out an arrest in Tinkune area of the Kathmandu’s airport right before YT691 accident took place for reasons suspecting ongoing international investigation. There were also news of match fixing in NPL and multiple arrests made in money laundering scam with linkages to previous Finance Minister and Home Minister of Nepal mentioned here. Not sure how much pressure building impact these incidents made. One thing we know for sure—his work and investigations were certainly unearthing links leading to some powerful individuals in and outside this country.
The technicality behind HM’s resignation, as we know it, is his citizenship re-application deadline formalities which is as meek a reason as there could be yet found a way to get the job done—remove the man from the job.
Now, coming back to the presser. There’s a mix of friendly jabs and attempts at hooks and punch. You will have to match his expression, study his body language and vocal pitch. We, at NI had to go through few videos to tell friendly jabs from punches at adversaries.
Right off the bat, he makes it very clear on the tone and level of the language he’s about to use throughout the discourse, i.e., stoop to the level his adversaries dealt with and give it back as good as he got. So, the intention of language style usage is clear. And yet, majority of social media responses to this episode is the tone and the language style used. He also appears unnerved by the potential backlash from within the party and few of his party members were readying themselves leaving the presser halfway or some even not showing up to make sure to cover bases and flash a countenance of an internal feud incase of backlash which is intended to douse any fire. They waited at least 48 hours to clarify their respective stands after gauging people’s sentiments, a tactics which will serve the party good in the long run.
Here’s a full video for anyone interested to go through the entire length with moments before the presser begins. Let’s break it down:
He’s named several notable media personality in Nepal using last names, occasionally dubbing them “Band of 12 Brothers” of Nepali media implying that the hit job is a well oiled machine with 12 journalist getting together and deciding Nepal’s news agenda. At one point in the presser he can just say a name and then look around for people to help him with other names. A two pager print out with just pictures of an accident against Kailash Sirohiya, the owner of Kantipur Media that runs The Kathmandu Post—that too involving one of his sons drunk accident episode a few years ago and how all trails were covered. The only one against him is that he took bribe for Chandragiri Hills resort and all hearsay. Another notable personality he named was Rameshwar Thapa of Annapurna Post without any proof. So, something is amiss here!
He’s also named all other splinter group that have recently cropped up in media space under different names and spelt out their ploy of getting together over a drink every evening to volley news and raise it for a striker for a smash ( Dunk in Basketball parlance) in a volleyball game with multiple raises by servers. Again, not a single proof against anyone but just that they would continually come out with articles hampering judiciary proceedings against him and coerce the PMs office and other cabinet members to put in his papers. Again, something is way off—amiss here!
Everyone in Nepal is aware that Kailash Sirohiya of The Kathmandu Post is originally from Rajasthan and is one extended henchman of Chowdhary, Saraf, Duggar, Golchha Adukia and Sashi Kumar Agarwal occupying 98% of Nepal’s economy pie, directly or indirectly and that include prime lands in Kathmandu valley. Between the seven and their charlatans you could easily divide up the entire Kathmandu Valley and areas they control.
Human Trafficking nexus in India now squeezed to one state in Rajasthan. Now, connect the two. Is there a pattern to this? We’ll just stop here and let the able investigation agencies follow the trails to nab culprits at source.
His only political jab was while calling the “Band of 12 brothers” creativity as big as the size of Gagan Thapa’s underwear and we’re not sure what that meant. What we did notice was Gagan Thapa pleading to bail out local agriculture entrepreneurs.
The other names included Kanak Mani Dixit, a big turncoat explained clearly by an unknown author here, Amit Dhakal of Setopati and Shiva Gaule of Online Khabar who also worked as a representative of ICIJ of Nepal letting everyone in on secrets as investigations were closing in. That is why there’s zero indictment and no property freezes of anyone in Nepal whose names appeared in major ICIJ leaks history.
He also included a message in hindi to PM Modi of India signaling that there were people meeting him in Modi’s name. At this point, we’re not sure if those people represented Modi or Non-Modi states.
Hard to draw any conclusion from the presser. It appears as if Nepal’s politics is taking a turn and there’s more to it than what meets the eye and appears to fit a fixed match pattern patiently waiting for an outcome. Going by recent resignations from The Kathmandu Post and several others there’s more brewing internally in Nepal’s political, business and security circle. At this point, it’s hard to say what’s actually cooking in the oven. We can only hope for the best. Meanwhile, our eyes will be on the look out for reactions from familiar quarters and try to connect the dots.
Here’s a little bit of good news of shared Nepal India heritage that shone in the form of a rock and brought out people’s emotions across the border which was somehow mired by series of events on Nepal side.
Nepal’s investigative agencies have concluded feathered propellors due to engine failure as reason for the crash, but there are still doubts in aviation circle on why after a recent successful 30-40 degree turn to the left while descending could result in abrupt engine failure in a matter of few seconds. The black box voice recorder release to the public is contingent upon approval by Nepal’s government. So far, we’ve heard nothing.
update: 12/29/23 NYT and several other aviation magazines(mostly spanish/french/portugese) published reports, some hidden behind paywalls, detailing flight’s voice recorder which hasn’t been made by GoN yet...
Well, there was ‘Sati Pratha’ a sacrifice practice by widows in deceased husband’s funeral pyre officially banned centuries ago. There’s been 0 cases in the modern history.
Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security also under RSP’s portfolio
All three Indian states mentioned WB, BR, RJ are Non-Modi ruled states. The closest transport would have been UP or UK → HR → RJ but the three to RJ are Modi ruled states. So, there you have it. India’s non-Modi vs. Modi Agent.