Kathmandu: As Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned amid mass protests sweeping across the country, the announcement on Tuesday was met with mixed emotions – from anger to relief – as citizens accused him of leading a “corrupt” and “oppressive” government and some declared that “Oli’s ego has turned into ashes”.
IANS spoke to several residents of Nepal, who expressed their reactions to the resignation, calling it inevitable after days of civil unrest and growing youth-led demonstrations.
“This was expected. Prime Minister Oli had no option left but to resign. His government was corrupt and completely detached from the public’s needs,” a resident said.
“More than 42 cabinet ministers have stepped down. There is no law and order left. I fear the military may soon take over.”
Another protestor said: “Oli’s resignation was bound to happen. Ministers are resigning one after the other. Let’s see what comes next.”
Condemning the use of force during the protests, one resident said: “It’s unacceptable that guns were used against protestors. What happened was wrong. But now, Oli has finally stepped down.”
Pointing to systemic issues, another citizen said: “Under Oli’s government, corruption thrived. The people of Nepal received nothing in return. The youth, especially students and teenagers, took action—and it’s commendable.”
Another added: “The situation left Oli with no other choice. His ego has now turned to ashes.”
Yet another protestor said: “We’ve burned the Parliament and homes of corrupt parliamentarians. I want to burn down every house of those who betrayed the country.”
Highlighting the power shift, another resident asserted that “Gen Z is awake 24/7. The next government will be under the control of Gen Z. This is just the beginning”.
Earlier in the day, Oli resigned from his post. He submitted his resignation letter to President Ram Chandra Poudel, citing the abnormal situation in the country as protests intensified against his rule throughout the country.
In the resignation letter, Oli said he resigned from the post as per Article 77 (1) of the constitution to pave the way for a constitutional resolution of the current situation.
Oli was elected Prime Minister on July 14, 2024, as per a consensus reached with Nepali Congress, the largest party in the parliament.
Some reports indicated that Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah could be appointed as an interim Prime Minister of the country.
As protests intensified on the second day following the killing of 19 protesters on Monday, the ruling coalition appeared to have fractured one after another, with ministers, particularly belonging to Nepali Congress, resigning and putting further pressure on the government to quit.
General Secretaries of the ruling Nepali Congress, Gagan Thapa and Bishwo Prakash Sharma, had earlier urged Prime Minister Oli to resign and pave the way forward.
Thapa and Sharma said in a statement that the seven-point agreement reached between the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist–Leninist and Congress during the formation of the government was no longer valid.
It is not immediately clear what course Nepal’s politics would take now, as all the lawmakers from the fourth largest party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, also resigned en masse, demanding an interim government.
Enraged by the killing of so many people during the first day of the protests organised by Gen-Z demanding accountability for corruption and social media ban, protesters throughout the country started to attack the houses of leaders and government buildings.
On Tuesday, the protesters stormed into the parliament building at Baneshwor in Kathmandu and set the building on fire. The protesters had made unsuccessful attempts to damage the building even on Monday, which led to a strong police response, resulting in the death of several people.
They also entered the Singh Durbar, the main administrative centre of the Nepalese government and torched the main gate.
The party headquarters of the ruling CPN-UML and the Nepali Congress in the Kathmandu Valley were also defaced and set on fire.
Torching and vandalism in the government offices in many parts of the country have also been reported by the local media.
The authorities said that the situation in Kathmandu has remained tense as protests intensified in several parts of the valley despite the curfew imposed by the local administrations.
After Home Minister and Agriculture Minister, Minister for Health and Population Pradip Poudel and Minister for Youth and Sports Teju Lal Chaudhary also announced their resignation from their respective positions, expressing regret over the use of force against the Gen-Z protesters.
Videos of the torching of Prime Minister Oli’s house at Balakot in Kathmandu’s Bhaktapur also went viral on social media. The protesters also forcefully entered the Singh Durbar, the main administrative centre of the government.
(IANS)
