“Those who oppress the students come to grief.”
8/9 September 2025. A Political Quake shook Nepal sweeping away the political establishment. In less than 30 hours all symbols of political power were stormed- Parliament, Singh Durbar-seat of Govt., President house and even Supreme Court. Jails were forced open. Police and administrative offices stormed all over Nepal.
What began as a peaceful protest at 9 AM close to Parliament morphed into one of the strongest upsurges of people’s anger seen anywhere. Number of participants swelled into over hundreds of thousands. K.P. Sharma Oli led CPI (UML) – Nepali Congress Govt. with other coalition partners as well, had no idea of the anger sweeping the people and no respect for the issues being raised by them. It resorted to massive repression, ordered shooting of demonstrators. 34 of them have been killed while 1,368 injured. This is the biggest massacre of the people since the fall of monarchy. This brutal suppression brought Nepal to boil, the protests becoming larger and larger, wider and wider. Those who considered people expendable were expended. Those who pretended to be invincible were trampled into dust.
What is being described as Gen Z protest is actually the revolt of the future against the present- decadent, corrupt andaa authoritarian govt. managed by self-serving leaders. Ban of social media platforms just precipitated the anger building up due to high unemployment, rampant corruption and growing inequality. It is a revolt of students and youth who are aware that they have no prospect of employment, who witness children of high and mighty getting all the benefits. Slogan of “Nepo babies or Nepo Kids” resonated as a symbol. Just remember how the misconduct of then Crown Prince Paras had become a symbol of decadence of monarchy under King Gyanendra.
These protests were initiated by some NGOs working among youth, some of these NGOs also receiving funds from foreign sources. These were simultaneously organized at many centres which shows some organized effort, but it is the anger of youth and the people at large that made the protests what they became. Though the protests were centred in Kathmandu, other major cities and towns, but people all over Nepal rejoiced over the protest and its success. People all over Nepal, including those living abroad, were indignant over the firing on the protesters and the high death toll.
This is not a revolt for going to the past but one for moving to the future. Issue of attempts to restore monarchy is being raised but it has not been an issue in the protest. Existing Multi-party Democracy dominated by some parties has failed the people of Nepal, just like Monarchy had failed them and was consigned to the dustbin of history. They may not have a clear vision of what they want to bring, nor a clear path for how to achieve that, but they are clear about what they want to destroy and why, and went about it in earnest. Such revolts may at times not deliver immediately the results sought for, such upsurges are sometimes even used by rightist forces who utilize people’s anger even playing role in organizing them, but they time and again show the potential of the people and the tremendous energy that can be harnessed to bring about real revolutionary change. Let us not reproach them for what they may not do, but greet them for what they have done.
Besides symbols of Govt., leaders of three major parties- Nepali Congress, CPN (UML) including its breakaway section CPN (US) and CPN (Maoist Centre) who have dominated Govts. since the abolition of monarchy and their residences have been targeted and torched by the protesters. Nepali Congress is an old representative of ruling classes, exhausting its entire positive role with the abolition of Monarchy. The present protests have also forcefully brought to light the degeneration of communist revolutionary organizations when they become the instruments of the ruling classes, of status quo rather than revolutionary change, symbols of despair and hatred than of hope and inspiration. Their joining the so-called mainstream has turned them into the opposite of what they were. At the root of this degeneration is their abandoning of the revolution and the people. Both CPN (UML) and CPN (MC) have had glorious pasts which contrasts with their inglorious present. CPN (UML), earlier CPN (ML), was born from the Jhapa peasant rebellion inspired by Naxalbari peasant uprising. It joined Multi-party Democracy under Monarchy, abandoning revolutionary path being influenced by Deng revisionist theory. CPN (Maoist Centre), main continuation of CPN (Maoist) that had conducted People’s War in Nepal from 1996 and played a pivotal role in abolition of Monarchy, renounced revolution in favour of multi-party competition concluding that in then uni-polar world (what they called as global state) victory of revolution was not possible. Today their leaders have become vastly despised – Oli as a symbol of authoritarianism and Dahal (Prachand) as a symbol of opportunism. Their degeneration is definitely bad, but revolutionary forces must draw appropriate lesson that economic corruption is generally preceded by political corruption i.e. abandoning the Revolution. When in power and for the sake of enjoying power, they did not carry out even measures like utilizing bank loans for employment generation nor they wrote of people’s loans, not to anger imperialists.
Nepal is the poorest country in South Asia (per capita GDP $1400). Its agriculture remains backward, industries undeveloped and vast hydropower potential untapped. It is exploited by large neighbour India, imperialist powers especially US and UK; China has also joined this club over last decades. Indian Govt. has big influence in Nepal and has been having big brotherly attitude towards Nepal and for long there has been jostling between India and China for influence. In recent period contradiction between USA and China has intensified and Nepal has also become a playground for this intensifying contradiction.
While feudal monarchy has been abolished, but semi-feudal relations are predominant in rural areas while imperialist penetration has grown. With successive govts. not addressing the real problems of the people, Nepal has continued to be in the abyss of backwardness, exploitation, destitution and poverty. Larger population of Nepal lives in the villages, with urbanization only 22% and nearly 65% of them dependent on Agriculture with nearly half of the population directly engaged in agriculture. Attempts at land reforms have been half-hearted and have not basically changed agrarian relations. According to a recent estimate, 10% of the rural people control over 40% land. Agriculture contributes only 24.5% to the GDP of Nepal.
Since a long time, youth of Nepal, have been going abroad for employment. Youth unemployment rate is very high- according to World Bank 32.06% and 7.5% of population, mostly youth, lives abroad for employment. Remittances from these Nepalis constitute 33.1% of the Budget, among the highest in the world. But the successive Govts. have not addressed the issue of unemployment. They have been busy in reaching agreements with foreign countries for supply of labour!
The revolt of students/youth in Nepal is not an isolated phenomenon. In our neighbourhood alone, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have witnessed huge upsurge of students and youth sweeping away those in power. What comes next is determined by the role of different political forces. Students/youth revolt prepares the ground but may not and does not control the ultimate outcome. Argalaya (Sri Lanka) propelled JVP led Front to power while Bangladesh is still grappling with holding new elections. In all these cases- Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and now Nepal, Army has been left with the political power, with the responsibility under the watch of the people. This is only our neighbourhood. Students/youth protests are shaking the foundations of rule in Kenya and Angola in Africa and in Indonesia. The battle cry is similar – against unemployment and corruption, the latter issue getting traction among people due to increasing inequality and vulgar show of wealth. Nor is the revolt confined to students and youth. France is on a volcano of working-class upheaval even as the successive govts. try to impose debt burden on the working people. French ruling class wants to prevent Left forces there from becoming the main challenger to Ultra-right neo-fascist forces but are unable to do that thus paving the way for a straight fight between parliamentary left led by militant LFI and Le Pen led RN, a straight class battle, which are often fought to finish in France. These revolts / upsurges should be seen in the backdrop of deepening crisis of Imperialism which is hobbling from one catastrophe to another since explosion of financial economic crisis of 2008.
Students/Youth upsurge has opened the door for intensification of people’s movements especially struggles of different sections. It has destroyed the political status quo, the rule of select leaders. Though main upsurge of Nepal students ended on September 9, protests continue in different centres in Nepal. What direction they take will be influenced by the political settlement arrived at by Army and the role of different political forces. In brief, whether this Youth Festival leads to festival of the people will be influenced by a number of factors.
Central Committee,
CPI (ML)-New Democracy
September 10, 2025
