Kathmandu - Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane said on Saturday that no one is above the Constitution and democracy, warning that anyone who works to undermine them must face punishment regardless of the position they hold or the influence they command. He made the remarks while speaking to journalists after a secretariat meeting held at the party's central office in Kathmandu. The statement was reported by both Khabarhub and Ratopati, with the two outlets carrying the same central message from the RSP chief.

Statement Delivered After Secretariat Meeting

Lamichhane's comments came immediately after the conclusion of the party's secretariat meeting, convened at the RSP central office in Kathmandu on Saturday. Following the gathering, the party chairman addressed reporters, using the interaction to state what he framed as a foundational principle for the country's governance.

According to the reports published by Khabarhub and Ratopati, the core of his message was direct: the Constitution and the democratic system hold the highest place in national life, and no individual, however powerful, is exempt from their authority. By delivering the statement to the press right after an internal party meeting, Lamichhane gave the remarks a public, on-the-record character, presenting them as a considered position rather than a passing comment.

The key points of the statement, as reported by both outlets, can be summarized as follows:

  • A clear assertion that no one, irrespective of rank, office or personal influence, is above the Constitution and democracy.
  • A warning that those who act to undermine these foundations must be punished, with accountability applied equally regardless of position or power.
  • A framing that placed fidelity to the constitutional and democratic order as a duty binding on all, rather than a matter of individual choice.

Accountability Regardless of Position or Influence

The second element of the statement - that anyone undermining the Constitution and democracy must face punishment regardless of position or influence - places the emphasis squarely on the equal application of accountability. In effect, the remark asserts that consequences for attacking the constitutional order should not bend to wealth, office or connections, and that the powerful should not expect different treatment from anyone else.

In a democracy built on constitutional supremacy, equality before the law is a central test of whether the system functions as intended. Warnings of the kind issued by Lamichhane are generally understood as calls for the institutions charged with enforcement, including the courts, investigative bodies and oversight mechanisms, to act without fear or favor. His formulation, as reported, tied the idea of punishment directly to the act of undermining constitutional and democratic order, making clear that the obligation to respect those foundations extends across the political and social spectrum.

The remarks also speak to the standards to which public figures should be held. By stating that no position or degree of influence grants exemption, the RSP chairman positioned adherence to the Constitution and democratic practice as a baseline requirement, one that cannot be traded away or overlooked for reasons of convenience.

Constitutional Supremacy as a Governing Principle

The Constitution serves as the supreme law of the land, and the democratic system rests on the premise that every institution, official and citizen operates within its bounds. Statements affirming that principle carry weight in public life because they reinforce the idea that political power is exercised within a constitutional framework, not above it.

For the leader of a party, remarks of this nature serve a dual purpose. On one level, they articulate a civic principle: that the constitutional and democratic order must be defended against any encroachment. On another, they communicate to the public the standards by which the party and its leadership wish to be judged, since pledges of commitment to democratic norms are typically measured against a party's own conduct over time.

Lamichhane's Saturday statement, as reported, was framed without qualification. The formulation that no one is above the Constitution and democracy, and that violators must be punished whatever their standing, leaves little interpretive room: the message is that the constitutional framework binds everyone equally, and that enforcement of that binding is what gives the principle practical meaning.

Remarks Draw Wide Coverage

The statement drew coverage from two English-language outlets, both of which led with the same core declaration from the RSP chairman. Khabarhub reported the remarks as part of its coverage of the party leader's interaction with the press, while Ratopati published its own report on the same statement, headlined around the declaration that no one is above the constitution and democracy.

Taken together, the reports present a consistent picture of what the RSP chairman conveyed outside the party's Kathmandu central office on Saturday: an affirmation of the supremacy of the Constitution and democracy, paired with the requirement that any assault on those foundations be met with punishment, whoever the perpetrator may be. As carried by both outlets, the remarks stand as a statement of principle on constitutional fidelity and equal accountability.