SuS: it’s hard to be sure where this is going, but perhaps it’s interesting to this sub anyway, as it was in a way the result of street protests etc. He seems to be more of best wildcard that people decided to vote for, to overturn the status quo.
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>Shah, widely known as Balen, is on track to become the Himalayan nation’s next prime minister after youth-led protests toppled the previous government. His Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has made history, securing the largest mandate in Nepal’s modern electoral era.
>Many view his party’s rise as a harsh rebuke of Nepal’s political elite. After years of facing corruption allegations, the establishment’s grip slipped during last year’s anti-government protests, which left more than 50 dead and brought down the communist government of the country’s longtime former leader, KP Sharma Oli.
>As tens of thousands of young people celebrate in the streets and on social media, Shah’s party has said it won’t hold any victory rallies, to “honor the martyrs of the revolution.”
>Maintaining his signature air of mystery, he hasn’t made any big statements on social media either.
Besides anti-corruption, he seems to have pressed the sovereignty/nationalism buttons a bit:
>In June 2023, Shah placed a controversial map of “Greater Nepal” in his office, depicting Indian territories as part of Nepal. The move was a direct response to India’s own “Akhand Bharat” map, unveiled in its new Parliament building, which depicted an ancient Indian civilization encompassing modern-day Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
>He has been equally combative to its northern neighbor. Shah canceled a scheduled trip to China in 2023 after Beijing released a new standard map that did not acknowledge Nepal’s updated 2020 political map, which included some disputed Himalayan territories, local media reported.
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I’m curious if regulars here have more thoughts on (all of) this.
1 Comment
SuS: it’s hard to be sure where this is going, but perhaps it’s interesting to this sub anyway, as it was in a way the result of street protests etc. He seems to be more of best wildcard that people decided to vote for, to overturn the status quo.
>
>Shah, widely known as Balen, is on track to become the Himalayan nation’s next prime minister after youth-led protests toppled the previous government. His Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has made history, securing the largest mandate in Nepal’s modern electoral era.
>Many view his party’s rise as a harsh rebuke of Nepal’s political elite. After years of facing corruption allegations, the establishment’s grip slipped during last year’s anti-government protests, which left more than 50 dead and brought down the communist government of the country’s longtime former leader, KP Sharma Oli.
>As tens of thousands of young people celebrate in the streets and on social media, Shah’s party has said it won’t hold any victory rallies, to “honor the martyrs of the revolution.”
>Maintaining his signature air of mystery, he hasn’t made any big statements on social media either.
Besides anti-corruption, he seems to have pressed the sovereignty/nationalism buttons a bit:
>In June 2023, Shah placed a controversial map of “Greater Nepal” in his office, depicting Indian territories as part of Nepal. The move was a direct response to India’s own “Akhand Bharat” map, unveiled in its new Parliament building, which depicted an ancient Indian civilization encompassing modern-day Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
>He has been equally combative to its northern neighbor. Shah canceled a scheduled trip to China in 2023 after Beijing released a new standard map that did not acknowledge Nepal’s updated 2020 political map, which included some disputed Himalayan territories, local media reported.
>
I’m curious if regulars here have more thoughts on (all of) this.