Pokharel Urges Youth to Unite Against Governmental Authoritarianism

Shankar Pokharel, General Secretary of Nepal Communist Party (UML), has accused the government of attempting to disrupt the balance among the judiciary, legislature, and executive branches. He stated that there is a move to establish a pattern where the Prime Minister is not accountable to the parliament and to bring the Supreme Court leadership under arbitrary control. Speaking at the 33rd Madan-Aashrit Memorial Day discussion held on Sunday, General Secretary Pokharel urged young people to organize and participate in movements against the rising authoritarianism masked by populism.

Pokharel further accused the ruling party and government of trying to develop a precedent in which the Prime Minister would not be responsible to the parliament. He said, “The balance among the three organs of the state — executive, judiciary, and legislature — has been broken. In such a situation, it is essential for the youth to unite and struggle against the increasing authoritarianism cloaked in populism.” Additionally, questioning the assets of ministers, he criticized, “How can an individual, who is unaware of where to invest, be capable of developing the country?”