Rabi Lamichhane is a highly influential and respected figure in the Nepali media industry. As the host of “Sidha Kura Janata Sanga,” a popular talk show that airs on Nepal Television, Lamichhane has made a name for himself as a fearless journalist who is not afraid to ask tough questions and uncover the truth.
In addition to his work on television, Lamichhane is also an accomplished radio presenter and has written several books. He is known for his investigative reporting and has won numerous awards for his work in journalism.
Aside from his professional pursuits, Lamichhane is also deeply committed to social and charitable causes. He has been involved in various projects to help the less fortunate, including efforts to provide education and health care to disadvantaged communities.
Lamichhane rose to fame as the host of a television show on the News24 aimed at setting the world record for longest marathon hosting of a television show in April 2013. He selected the ‘Buddha was born in Nepal’ theme in order to “help promote Nepal globally”. The previous record was set by two Ukrainian presenters who stayed on the air for 52 hours in 2011. He interviewed politicians, journalists and celebrities, and took phone calls from viewers. While he set the Guinness world record at over 62 hours in April 2013, the record has since been broken by Alexandru Raducanu of Romania, who hosted an over 72-hour-long show.
Lamichhane went on to host the popular Sidha Kura Janta Sanga (Straight Talk with the People) on the News 24. The shows format has Lamichhane providing an editorial monologue alongside reporting, primarily the kind of sting journalism pioneered by the Indian news magazine Tehelka. Lamichhane follows up on complaints from ordinary people, chiefly victims of fraud or corruption, and confronts the alleged perpetrators on camera. The show has been described as “unapologetically nationalist, at times simplistic in its coverage of complex issues,” and creating “a cult of personality around its host”.
On 15 August 2019, police arrested Lamichhane from his News 24 office in connection with the suicide of journalist Shalikram Pudasaini. In a video recorded before his death, Pudasaini, who had also worked for News24, had named Lamichhane, among others, as driving him to suicide. Chitwan police charged Lamichhane, along with two others with abetment of suicide. His arrest provoked widespread protest rallies in his support across the country with thousands of young people taking to the streets in Chitwan. Protestors saw Lamichhane’s arrest as an attempt to stifle his journalism and as retaliation for his exposure of corruption in the state. Lamichhane was released on Rs 500,000 bail a few days later
Lamichhane resigned from News24 in January 2021 and announced the launch of a new version of his show on Galaxy 4K TV
He announced the formation of a new political party, the Rastriya Swatantra Party on 21 June 2022. He registered his candidacy from Chitwan 2. His car was vandalized while on the campaign trail in Chitwan on 13 November 2022.
Lamichhane was elected with a majority of 34,312 votes, defeating Nepali Congress’ Umesh Shrestha, an incumbent minister of state, and CPN (UML)’s Krishna Bhakta Pokhrel, the incumbent member of the constituency. In the aftermath of the election, his party supported Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s nomination for prime minister, and Lamichhane led the RSP in government as deputy prime minister and minister for home affairs, and was sworn in on 26 December 2022
As his definition was changed, now Ravi Lamichhane is a Nepali politician and president of the National Independent Party. He is currently serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister in office from 26 December 2022. He was elected to the House of Representatives from Chitwan 2 in the 2022 general election.
Overall, Rabi Lamichhane is a highly respected and admired figure in Nepal, known for his dedication to journalism and his commitment to making a positive impact on society.
Personal life
Rabi Lamichhane was married to Isha Lamichhane for 24 years until their divorce in 2019. They had been separated for 10 years prior to their divorce.] He married Nepal Film Development Board chairmen, Nikita Poudel on 21 January 2019. Lamichhane has two daughters with his first wife.
Lamichhane was an American citizen from 2007 to 2017. His previous Nepali citizenship was revived following the renouncement of his American citizenship. During his campaign for the 2022 general election, a complaint was filed calling for his candidacy be scrapped. The complainant claimed that he had not renounced his Nepali citizenship while being an American citizen and Nepali law does not allow the provision of dual citizenship
Personal details
Born – 11 June 1975 (age 47), Kathmandu, Nepal
Citizenship – Nepali (until 2007; 2017–present), American (2007–2017)
Nationality – Nepali
Political party – Rastriya Swatantra Party
Spouse(s) – Isha Lamichhane (m. 1994; div. 2019) , Nikita Poudel (m. 2019)
Children – 2
father – Lal Chandra Lamichhane ()
Profession – Journalist, Politician