Not-so-sweet 16

The political class must recall the zeal in 2008 when a seed of hope was planted in the hearts of Nepalis.

Nepal celebrated its 16th Republic Day on Monday. It was the day when, back in 2008, Nepali people’s decades-old dream of having a Constituent Assembly write a constitution solely on their behalf had materialised. The first sitting of the first CA duly endorsed the motion to declare Nepal a federal democratic republic with an overwhelming majority. It was the official endorsement of the agendas raised in multiple movements. But within a decade and half of adopting the new setup, people already feel betrayed as they see a handful of politicians hijack it to serve their own interests.