"Leaderless movement...should have been handled better by political class": Ex Indian envoy to Nepal on Gen Z protest

New Delhi [India], September 9 (ANI): Former Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae on Tuesday shed light on the ongoing Gen Z protests in Nepal, describing the movement as "leaderless" and "homegrown".
Speaking with ANI, Rae said that the protests were driven by deep-seated root causes within Nepal, including widespread corruption, nepotism, and a sense of disconnection between the political leadership and the younger generation.
Rae stated that the political class in Nepal should have handled the situation better, but noted that there may also be elements trying to exploit the instability for their own purposes.
"There are very deep-seated root causes within Nepal as to why this is happening. So this is a homegrown issue. It should have been handled better by the political class in Nepal. However, within Nepal, there may also be elements that seek to exploit this for their own purposes. Whenever there is instability, there are always attempts to exploit that instability for whatever objectives people may have. But fundamentally, this is a homegrown situation. It is a movement of Gen Z, young people. It is a kind of leaderless movement. One doesn't really know who the leaders are," Rae told ANI.
The protests are characterised as leaderless, with no clear leaders. However, some prominent figures like Balen Shah, the mayor of Kathmandu, and former Chief Justice of Nepal have joined the movement.
"Although today, people like Balen Shah, the mayor of Kathmandu, have joined this movement. The former Chief Justice of Nepal has joined it. Former head of the Nepal Electricity Authority has also joined it...," said the ex-Indian envoy.
The protests have now led to the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, with many calling for systemic reforms and greater government accountability.
Rae highlighted that the perception of widespread corruption and nepotism in Nepal's top political offices has fueled public frustration. The "Nepo Kids" trend on social media, showcasing lavish lifestyles of politicians' children, has further exacerbated the issue.
"The ostensible reason has been that the government of former Prime Minister KP Oli, who has just resigned today. His government had banned social media apps because they were not complying with Nepali law. I think this was a foolhardy decision... But the real reasons are much deeper. There has been widespread frustration in Nepal over the corruption in high political offices. There have been a lot of scams," Ranjit Rae told ANI.
The protesters are demanding greater accountability and transparency from the government, which they feel is not listening to their concerns.
"Secondly, there was this sense that the families of the top political leaders are very privileged. It was viral in Nepal, where 'nepo kids '- the children of these leaders --are showing off their luxurious lifestyles on social media... There was a feeling that the political leadership is not listening to what the people feel, and the political leadership seemed to be cut off from the younger generation," he added.
Ranjit Rae said that rumours were going around in Nepal that KP Oli's CPN (UML) and Sher Bahadur Deuba's Nepal Congress were allied to sideline the corruption investigation against each other.
"One of the reasons for this is also that the two big parties got together to form a grand coalition, and the rumour in Nepal was that this coalition had been formed because leaders of both parties were under investigation for corruption by the previous government. So to stop those investigations, they formed this coalition," he said.
Ranjit Rae expressed hope that Kathmandu will return to stability and calm following the resignation of Nepali Prime Minister KP Oli.
"I just hope that things stabilise. Things must stabilise in Nepal, which is a neighbouring country of India. We have open borders. It's very important for the people of Nepal themselves. I saw today that the mayor of Kathmandu, who is possibly the most popular politician in Nepal, has made an appeal, asking the people to stay calm and not take the law into their own hands, nor damage government property. Now that Prime Minister Oli has resigned, hopefully, there'll be movement towards some stability and calm," he said.
Over the past two days, these Gen Z demonstrations have escalated sharply, resulting in at least 19 deaths and more than 500 injuries in clashes around the Federal Parliament and other parts of Kathmandu.
The protests began on September 8, 2025, in Kathmandu and other major cities, including Pokhara, Butwal, and Birgunj, after the government imposed a ban on major social media platforms, citing tax revenue and cybersecurity concerns.
A curfew was imposed in several cities, including Kathmandu, to control the situation. The government imposed a ban on 26 major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube, citing concerns over misinformation and the need for regulatory compliance. Citizens saw this as an attack on free speech and a way to suppress dissent. (ANI)