Chief Minister Shah’s secretariat staff linked to RSVP membership, cites ‘Technical Error’

Dhangadhi: The involvement of a staff member from the secretariat of Sudurpaschim Province Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah in the membership list of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSVP) has come to light.

Chandra Bik, who works as an administrative assistant in the Chief Minister’s secretariat, has been found to have obtained RSVP membership from Lamkichuha Municipality-1.

Despite this, Bik continues to serve in his role at the Chief Minister’s Office. He has clarified that the membership was recorded due to a technical error.

In a clarification posted on the social media platform Facebook, Bik stated that he has not formally taken membership in the RSVP.

He explained that during the 2079 BS elections, his wife’s sister, Rupa Shankar, who is an RSVP central member, was a proportional candidate from Kavre. Bik said he had provided his mobile number and citizenship details to support her voting process.

According to him, RSVP had a policy in which the candidate receiving the highest internal votes would be selected as a proportional representative.

Bik claims that his details were later included in the party’s membership list based on the information used during the internal voting process.

He is currently a central member of the Dalit Sangh affiliated with the Nepali Congress and a former central member of the Nepali Sangh, and continues to work in Chief Minister Shah’s secretariat.

Bik stated that although his name appeared in the RSVP membership list due to a technical issue, he has not left the Nepali Congress.

In his clarification, Bik said he wanted to address confusion, comments, and discussions surrounding the issue and urged media and the public not to exaggerate it.

He reiterated that during the 2079 BS elections, he supported his relative Rupa Shankar by voting through the RSVP app, as the party had introduced a system where proportional candidates would be selected based on internal voting.

He said that while casting his vote, he was required to provide his mobile number and citizenship details, which he believed were solely for voting purposes. However, he later learned that these details were also registered as party membership.

He emphasized that this was a procedural and technical error rather than a politically motivated decision or action taken for personal gain.

Bik stated that if he had intended to join the party, he would have done so openly by attending programs and formally taking membership. He also challenged anyone to present evidence of his active participation in RSVP activities.

Addressing concerns about his position in the Chief Minister’s secretariat, Bik said he had informed Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah about the issue around two months ago.

He clarified that he has not changed his political affiliation and remains committed to his existing beliefs and responsibilities.

Bik concluded by urging everyone to understand the situation accurately and present it responsibly without creating confusion or misrepresenting facts.