They had rejected the peace process and started planning a new “unified revolution”. Massive corruption scandals involving ministers and senior politicians from the party were met with indifference while questioning the necessity of such expensive and unrealistic endeavours became tantamount to being unpatriotic.Īs the government continued with its plans to connect Nepal to the world and make Kathmandu a global hub, however, discontent among some Maoists was simmering below the glossy surface.īack in 2012, as their former comrades were ascending to positions of power and wealth, a group had splintered away from the Maoist Party, which is now part of the ruling coalition. However, the government managed to present these mega projects as symbols of national pride. Such fantasy projects should have raised eyebrows in one of the poorest countries in the world where the government struggles to provide most basic necessities like public schools, hospitals and housing. He also signed an agreement with China to build a railway link connecting Tibet with Kathmandu through the arduous Himalayan terrain. ![]() In a land-locked country, nestled between the Indian plains and the Tibetan plateau, he inaugurated a shipping office with much fanfare, claiming that it will help “study ways to develop inland waterways”. “Nepal’s rise is inevitable,” he said.Īnd since taking office, he has made some controversial, and perhaps illogical, steps to show the Nepalese people and the world that he is determined to transform Kathmandu into a global trade capital. “Dream big”, the new Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, long-time leader of the Marxist Communist Party of Nepal, told the nation when he took office in February 2018. As a result, Nepal once again appears to be heading towards a national conflict. A new Maoist force, fed by popular disillusionment and anger, is growing in strength. Having ignored opposition protests and popular grievances for years, Nepal’s new leadership is now facing a major threat. Using the unprecedented devastation experienced by the population as an excuse, the dominant parties in parliament subdued all opposition voices and “fast-tracked” a new constitution and two years later held a controversial election. In April 2015, Nepal was hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed over 9,000 people and injured tens of thousands of others. What followed was years of protracted negotiation over a new constitution. Every Nepalese citizen felt as if they had a voice in the parliament, if not the streets. For the first time in Nepal’s recent history, all segments of the population, including the Maoists, were participating in the democratic process. In May 2008, the monarchy was officially abolished, and Nepal became a federal democratic republic, thanks to movements for equality from its marginalised groups such as the Madhesis. In the following months, a seven-party coalition took control of the government, stripped the king of most of his powers and accepted an interim constitution. ![]() ![]() After a devastating decade-long war between Maoists and the government, an all-party People’s Movement took to the streets of Kathmandu in April 2006 and forced King Gyanendra to reinstate the parliament. About a decade ago it seemed as if Nepal was marching into a new era.
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