Oli’s legacy of shame

KP Oli put Nepal’s young democracy to the test, and the political class helped him by sticking to their self interests.

To a section of Nepali society, the ejection of Sher Bahadur Deuba from prime ministership in October 2002 by king Gyanendra heralded a Panchayat redux. For those of us who had lived through the Panchayat years, the days that followed the royal move certainly felt like being transported to pre-1990 Nepal—mainly through the monotonous recital on TV and radio of names of individuals and organisations supporting Gyanendra’s putsch. As was to be expected, government newspapers also followed up by publishing long lists of those selfsame along with the words they used to welcome their monarch’s actions.