look news india
Once again a major earthquake is visible in the political circles of Nepal. Only 104 days have passed since Balen Shah, who came to power with the huge support of GenZ youth by toppling the KP Sharma Oli government, became the Prime Minister, but the public anger against his decisions has reached its peak. In Kathmandu, the streets of the capital are on fire in protest against the bulldozer action and removal of illegal settlements situated on the river banks. The same youth group which had enthusiastically brought Balen Shah to the seat of power, today the same youth and prominent faces of the movement are taking to the streets and raising slogans against the government.
Bulldozers on illegal settlements and people rendered homeless
Balen Shah, former mayor of Kathmandu, had wanted to free the city from encroachment for a long time. After becoming Prime Minister, he started a large-scale campaign to remove illegal settlements built on the river banks in the Kathmandu Valley, under which heavy deployment of police and army has been made. Thousands of houses have been demolished during this eviction drive, leaving around 3,500 people homeless. The main allegation of the protesters and the local people is that the government has destroyed their homes without any prior rehabilitation plan or alternative arrangements, due to which one person even committed suicide and others also attempted the same.
Police clamp down on GenZ faces forming government
Balen Shah administration has started taking strict action to control the growing protests, under which the police has started detaining many prominent agitators and GenZ leaders. The irony is that the young faces who played the most important role in bringing Balen Shah to power are today facing police action. Majid Ansari and Sarishma Thapa, who were leading the movement, were taken into custody by the police during the protest in Maitighar in Kathmandu on Sunday. Majid Ansari also suffered serious injuries in this action, after which the anger of the public and the youth towards the government has increased further.
Strictness of administration and deepening political crisis
This unilateral and harsh step of the Balen Shah government has created a new political crisis in the country. The suffering of the people rendered homeless due to the government’s indifference and lack of rehabilitation has further intensified the movement. The protesters are continuously demanding that the displaced people should be resettled immediately and the detained youth leaders should be released unconditionally. Analysts believe that if the administration does not act wisely and does not take initiative to calm the public anger, then this public anger can prove to be heavy for the newly elected government of Balen Shah.