For over a decade, Nepal has been grappling with political instability, corruption, and economic stagnation. While veteran leaders like KP Sharma Oli remain in the spotlight, a new generation of so-called “change makers” — notably Sudan Gurung and Balen Shah — has emerged, winning over the youth with fiery rhetoric and populist gestures. Yet behind the image of reform, these Gen Z icons now stand accused of the very corruption, abuse of power, and reckless behavior they vowed to fight, raising serious questions about whether they are genuine reformers or just new faces in Nepal’s old game of political opportunism.

KP Sharma Oli, 73, the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) since 2014, served as the prime minister for five years in three terms since 2015.

Oli shared the premiership with two other major parties – CPN (Maoist Centre) and Nepal Congress – during the 10-year period: their opponents in the political parties, civil society, and the Gen Z population term it a game of musical chairs.

From taking office in July last year until his ouster in a violent protest on September 9, Oli had been facing severe criticism from among the coalition partners and the opposition for the failure to improve the economy, create more jobs, stem corruption, and uphold Nepal’s sovereignty for his pro-China policy.

There is another discontent among many Nepalese: the 1950 friendship treaty with India, which allows Indian citizens the reciprocal benefits of residence, property ownership, participation in trade and commerce, and unrestricted movement within Nepal, allowing them to essentially live, work, and establish businesses on terms similar to Nepalese citizens.

In the last few years, Nepal saw the rise of a new force outside the traditional parties: foreign-funded NGOs, journalists, youth civic groups, and social media influencers.

They started calling for a drastic change in governance and politics in terms of promoting democratic values and human rights, stopping repression, censorship, corruption, and abuse of power, and encouraging accountability and transparency of political leaders.

Funds were also channeled to generate debate around China’s influence on Nepal’s democratic institutions, involvement in infrastructure projects and the non-governmental sector, and exposure of procurement issues.

The top financier, the US, also suggested how Nepalis could become a more sovereign, prosperous society based on shared values as it sought partnerships with influential leaders and groups, key populations, government, and civil society.

The US insisted that Nepal needed to better manage its development partnerships and decrease its dependence on foreign assistance to improve its management of resources and deliver to its citizens. Otherwise, Nepal would risk deeper economic dependence on its neighbors and the erosion of a free press, civil society, and public support for the system of governance.

It seems that the violent protests that led to the fall of the Oli-led government and the attacks on prominent politicians like former prime ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) and Sher Bahadur Deuba were driven by complaints from civil society, youth groups, and some social media influencers about corruption and the extravagant lifestyles of the “Nepo Kids,” who are the flashy children of political elites.

According to a report by Kathmandu Post, Nepal has witnessed approximately 4,000 protests in the last 12 months.

Hami Nepal, a youth-centric NGO, announced the demonstration of Gen Zs, aged below 28, for September 8 against corruption and demanding withdrawal of the ban on social media platforms.

The group, run by 36-year-old activist Sudan Gurung, even said that........

© Blitz