Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

Balen Shah starts his PM stint the Hindu way. Power, populism & patience will define his rule

Balen has amused his critics by releasing a song— ‘Jay Mahakali’—as he took the Prime Minister's office, hitting 2.7 million views in just 15 hours.

Balendra Shah, aka Balen, has finally taken the office of Nepal’s 47th Prime Minister on the auspicious day of Ramanavami in the Hindu calendar, symbolising the beginning of a Rama Rajya—an all-inclusive welfare state based on righteousness, justice, and duty. But critics say that Balen’s decision to pick this day is contrary to the constitution’s secular spirit. 

For many in Nepal, Hinduism—the religion of the majority—is not just a matter of politics but also a cultural representation. For those watching Nepal from a distance, the same shockwave occurs when the picture of Gorkhali King Prithvi Narayan Shah appears in the background of the Nepal Army Chief’s videos and photographs. 

If Balen chose a cultural fervour for his day, any roar of criticism warrants lessons on Nepal’s history, especially its foundation as a unified-nation Kingdom in the 18th Century. 

Balen is the youngest elected prime minister in modern Nepal, at 35, since 1950. His rise is marked by many firsts— the youngest prime minister, the first leader not belonging to the grand old parties, the first leader to have a two-thirds majority in parliament, and the first to make youth the central voice of his........

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