Kathmandu, April 18 -- Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker Sumana Shrestha's resignation as the party's joint general secretary has stirred a new debate inside the fledgling political outfit.

When it became the fourth largest party in the House of Representatives after the November 2022 elections, it was widely seen as a promising alternative force. But the party hasn't had smooth sailing since then as it struggles to battle public perception that it is any different from the traditional political parties. Allegations of cooperative fraud, organised crime and money laundering against party chair Rabi Lamichhane has remained a thorn on its side.

While so far, the party appeared unified around Lamichhane, lawmaker Shrestha's resignation has...