Nepal GenZ Protests: Failure Of Politics Behind Unrest

Nepal plunges into political turmoil as Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigns following street protests by Gen Z on Monday. The protests triggered by a government ban on social media platforms have morphed into a much larger movement against corruption and the power play of the political elite.

The public’s anger towards political parties is justified, given that most of them seem primarily focused on clinging to power. Whether it is the traditional parties, such as the Nepali Congress, various Communist factions, or the socialists, their actions suggest a focus on self-interest over genuine public service. Established political forces, such as the Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party—which advocates for the monarchy—and the Maoists, have all used their time in power to aggrandize themselves and secure their positions, rather than working for the people.

Nepal’s “people’s war” led by the Maoists lasted for 10 years (1996-2006) and succeeded in overthrowing the monarchy. After a peace agreement was signed in 2006, and the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections brought the Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal to the reins of government. The Maoists were at the height of their popularity at the time, following the abolition of the monarchy and the hope that the new setup would work for the people.

But that was not to be. The Maoists were no different from the rest. They proved to be just as corrupt and inefficient  as the rest. Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the once much-admired Maoist leader, and Baburam Bhattarai, who had fought against the royal army together at one time, became bitter adversaries.  Bhattarai broke off with his former Maoist colleagues and now presides over the Nepal Socialist Party, where he is promoting his  daughter as the heir apparent. Dahal has served as the prime minister three times, but has little to show for it.

Oli, who stepped down on Tuesday, is a stalwart of the Communist Party and a wily politician. But despite his commitment to abolishing the monarchy, he is now often in cohorts with the King’s supporters. After all factions of Nepal's divided Communist movement fought the 2017 parliamentary elections together, won a landslide victory, and formed the Communist Party of Nepal in 2018, there was hope that now the government would now cater to people's needs. However, within three years, internal squabbling within the leftists led to their ouster, and the Nepali Congress was brought back to power. The Communist Party of Nepal broke up. 

This is why, perhaps, the protesters on the streets may have little faith in traditional political outfits. Instead, the youth are now supporting independent candidates, such as Balen Shah, the mayor of Kathmandu. Since the early 2010s, he has been a rapper. In local elections in 2022, he won over both a Nepali Congress and a CPN (UML) candidate from two well-oiled political parties.

“Please, Gen Z, the nation is in your hands—it is you who must build it,” Shah wrote in a Facebook appeal. “Any losses from here onwards will be ours to bear. Please return home.” Shah is popular with the young people of Nepal. 

Another political leader who has captured the hearts of the people in Nepal is Rabi Lamichhane, a former journalist and now the leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, which focuses on electoral issues and is committed to cleaning the system of corruption. He was a celebrity as the producer of a news show that focused on the corruption of the high and mighty. He won the last parliamentary elections against tough establishment opponents, but was himself mired in controversy. He was imprisoned in connection to a cooperative savings case till the protestors surrounded the jail and freed him.  He is a figure to be watched as he is hugely popular and could emerge as a pivotal figure in this crisis.