By Admin 
7 months ago, a new face came into Nepal’s politics, Balen Shah. This 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician took over the post of Prime Minister of the country in March 2026. Balen’s Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) had won almost two-thirds majority in Parliament. The youth saw him as a ray of hope against corruption. But on 12-13 July 2026, the same youth took to the streets. Hundreds of people demonstrated outside the Singhdarbar Secretariat in Kathmandu. They had placards in their hands and demanded the resignation of Balen Shah. What happened after all that hero Balen Shah became the target…
Balen Shah’s troubles have increased due to 4 reasons…
1. Bulldozing of slums on the banks of Bagmati river
The biggest charge against Balen Shah is of demolishing slums with bulldozers. This has been his old agenda, even when he was the mayor of Kathmandu, he wanted to do this.
According to Nepalese law, a landless slum dweller is a person who does not own any land anywhere in the country. According to Nepali media reports in 2022, about 3,466 families lived along the banks of rivers in three districts of Kathmandu Valley.
The Balen government deployed police and army to remove these slums. Many people left their homes themselves, but a large number of people became homeless. Elderly people and children were also included in these.
There is a provision for rehabilitation in Nepali law, but the government did not provide them any alternative shelter. Houses of 2,600 families were demolished, but only 325 families got a place in temporary shelter centres. On July 2, 2026, the government ordered to vacate these centers by July 6. 60 families refused to go because they had no place to go.
28 civil society organizations issued a joint statement saying, ‘We are concerned by the unconstitutional actions of the government. We demand the government to stop these actions and follow democratic practices.
On July 12, 2026, hundreds of landless slum dwellers and workers demonstrated in Maitighar, Kathmandu.
2. Three people committed suicide in three days
In the first week of July 2026, three youths attempted self-immolation in Nepal. Two of them died, while one is admitted to the hospital with serious burns.
The most famous case was that of a 25-year-old ride-share app driver, who committed suicide after being fined by the traffic police. He was not in a position to pay the fine. Biswas Baral, editor of Kathmandu Post, said, ‘When a youth has committed suicide and there is tension on the streets, remaining silent can be considered a lack of sympathy.’
When Prem Acharya committed suicide in 2023, the then mayor Balen Shah had called it an ‘extreme failure of the state’. Now that he himself is the Prime Minister, his silence on these incidents is the target of the opposition and protesters.
3. Unemployment and broken hopes of youth
GenZ Nepal organization has accused Balen Shah of running the government in an ‘anti-people and autocratic’ manner. The organization says that no concrete steps were taken in the budget and policies to increase employment and income of the youth.
These are the youth who brought political change in Nepal in September 2025. Due to opposition from the youth, the then Prime Minister KP Oli Sharma had to resign. Balen Shah came to power with the help of the same youthful energy. But now the same youth are against him.
Nepali Congress has accused the government of ‘failing to instill hope and confidence among the youth’.
4. Balen Shah’s authoritarian tendencies
According to Tribune India, ‘authoritarian tendencies’ are clearly visible in Balen Shah. He ignores procedures, takes decisions in isolation and bypasses the Cabinet. Balen Shah’s silence has become a big issue:
- Don’t talk to the media: Even while being mayor, he did not talk to Nepali media. Even after becoming Prime Minister, he did not give any interview. Balen’s social media posts are being described as ‘reading tea leaves’.
- Distance from Parliament: During the first Parliament session, he walked out in the middle of the President’s address. His absence became a matter of concern in the later sessions also.
- Pressure on media: Vehicles were parked in front of the offices of the Post and other media organizations as well as the residence of Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa and the entry gates were closed. As if it is being said, ‘If the media is portraying traffic rules as strict, then it should not complain about wrongly parked vehicles.’
What does Balen Shah have to say on this whole uproar?
Balen Shah has not yet given any specific statement nor reacted to the protest. Balen’s supporters say that he works in the secretariat from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm during the day. For his opponents, his silence is his biggest weakness.
Balen Shah had called the self-immolation in 2023 a ‘failure of the state’. Now that this is happening in his government, his silence is under question.
Then what is the challenge before Balen Shah?
Balen Shah had gained power on the slogan of against corruption and change. The authoritarian attitude adopted by Balen is turning the very youth against himself with the help of whom he came to power. Now Balen Shah faces three big challenges:
- Rehabilitation of slum dwellers: 2,600 families are homeless, but only 325 have received shelter. According to the law, it is the responsibility of the government to provide rehabilitation.
- Unemployment and youth anger: Due to three suicides in three days, youth organizations allege that there are no concrete steps for employment in the budget.
- Silence and Authoritarian Image: Not talking to the media, staying away from Parliament and parking vehicles in front of media offices is creating an ‘autocratic’ image.