Rightward drift of Nepali politics

The demise of political ideology and progressive idealism was slow and painful.

In the political realm, almost all appearances are deceptive. Supremo KP Sharma Oli calls himself a nationalist, heads a communist party named after Marx and Lenin, replaces the silver jalhari at the temple of Pashupatinath with a golden one, and wants to establish that Lord Rama was born in Nepal. The supremo was re-elected with a thumping majority through a jamboree in Chitwan, which also conferred discretionary powers on him. He expects to sweep the upcoming elections with an explosive mix of jingoistic populism and xenophobic nationalism. Pushpa Kamal Dahal—once better known by his nom de guerre Prachanda—continues to assert his Maoist credentials, worships buffalos to placate annoyed planetary stars, and claims that he shares the nationalistic gotra (patrilineal kinship) with the Hindu hardliners of Nepali politics. He remains the unchallenged chief of the CPN (Maoist Centre).