KATHMANDU, Sept 11: Questions and criticism have mounted over the role of the Nepali Army in the aftermath of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s resignation, which followed the Gen Z protests.
President Ram Chandra Paudel formally accepted Oli’s resignation on the afternoon of Sept 9. While Oli stepped down in line with the demands of the Gen Z protesters, many have criticized the national army for remaining silent even as demonstrators vandalized Singha Durbar, Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the President’s Office (Sheetal Niwas). The Army only deployed to the streets after 10 PM on the same day.
The national army later invited Gen Z protesters for dialogue. However, during the meeting, Chief of Army Staff Ashok Raj Sigdel mentioned controversial businessman Durga Prasai and the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) as stakeholders in the movement. This prompted some Gen Z representatives including Rakshya Bam to walk out of the talks.
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Speaking outside Army Headquarters, Bam said: “The Chief of Army Staff called us to meet the President and asked us to sit for talks with Durga Prasai and the RSP group. Once the Chief himself declared them as stakeholders, we realized the sacrifices and transformative journey of the Gen Z movement would be undermined. So, we rejected the proposal and walked out.”
Her claim was later reinforced when Durga Prasai released a photograph with the Army Chief on Wednesday, stating that they had held in-depth discussions on the country’s latest situation and future course. Prasai, a businessman advocating for the restoration of monarchy, has been widely criticized for his controversial campaigns, including urging people not to repay loans from banks and microfinance institutions.
“This meeting with a disruptive figure like Durga Prasai at a time of national crisis raises serious suspicions about the Army Chief’s role,” a senior Army official told Republica.
The controversy deepened after former president of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, senior journalist Kishor Nepal, posted on social media platform X (Twitter) that during a Sept 9 security meeting held in the presence of President Paudel, the Army Chief had urged the President to resign, assuring him that the Army would handle the situation thereafter.
According to Nepal, the President replied: “I will not resign. Instead, you may kill me and blame my death on the protesters. After that, do whatever you want.”
Following these revelations, the Army Chief has come under heavy criticism on social media. Supporters of the President have begun staging demonstrations, demanding transparency. Meanwhile, major political parties including the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, CPN-Maoist Centre, and RSP have stated that any political way forward must come strictly through the constitution and parliament.
