The unprecedented civil unrest of September 8 and 9, initiated by an innocent group of youths, under the banner of Gen Z, and cruelly hijacked by many vengeful parties and individuals, has reshaped Nepal’s political landscape. The nationwide riot on September 9 triggered by the display of state brutality a day prior that led to the death of 19 youths, has left tremendous damage and destruction in its wake.

Already in a bad shape, the Nepali economy has taken a massive hit. We’ve also frightened off international investors by burning the Hilton Hotel and many other private enterprises. Besides, the interim government is mandated to hold a general election within six months!

How does the state rebuild the charred infrastructure? Where does the money come from? And, at the same time, how do we contain public frustration and anger while thwarting anti-democratic forces? There are many issues for the newly-formed Karki government—and all state bodies and citizens—to think about. Most new developments have both positives and negatives.

Good news for younger politicians

There is a general perception that the three major political parties—Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Maoist Centre—have collapsed since the deadly political violence in the name of Gen Z. I don’t agree with this understanding.

The major political parties—the ruling elites—have indeed been greatly shaken and demoralised now. Their ego has been hugely deflated. Now, as a democrat, I find this soothing. We have come to a situation which is conducive to political reform and revival.

One thing is clear: The top party leaderships must go. They have no option than to retire now. The leaders of all parties, including the smaller ones, will now face incredible pressure within their own parties to give up power and let the younger generation take charge.

Part of the frustration and anger amongst the masses has been the top leaders’ lifelong claim to leadership, who wouldn’t retire until death. And, they’d do everything in their power to hold on to power and pass their power to their children or close relatives.

Horribly failed prison break

Many people tend to believe that the extremely controversial Rabi Lamichhane and his party, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), were a key player in derailing the Gen Z uprising. With multiple RSP cadres sighted vandalising properties on September 9, it is speculated that the party wanted to take advantage of growing anarchy and mayhem and force its leader—who has been jailed in Nakkhu prison for suspected cases of fraud and misuse of co-operative funds—out of the jail and, given his lingering popularity, try and make him the new prime minister. The party workers and others did bring him out, freeing him like a great warrior and aimed to put him straight on the premier’s chair!

But the Bollywood-style spectacle didn’t last very long. Despite being a very disorganised and desperate crowd, Gen Z protestors didn’t support Rabi. They stated loud and clear that they didn’t aim to release Lamichhane and blamed his party for orchestrating the jailbreak.

Clever Lamichhane tried to justify his jailbreak, maintaining that he’d been released because prison authorities couldn’t hold him due to security concerns. He also showed a formal document authorising his freedom. By now, multiple news outlets have proven that the document was not genuine.

Unlike most other times in the past, people didn’t trust Lamichhane. They didn’t make him the street hero as the protests raged. Moreover, news of his release agitated other prisoners in Nakhhu, in central prisons and elsewhere in the country, and tens of thousands of convicted criminals walked out. Lamichhane and his party found themselves in a most embarrassing situation.

So, RSP is one of the greatest losers of the Gen Z movement. Their clever and cunning strategy boomeranged. Disgusted and embarrassed, Sumana Shrestha, former education minister and a popular leader of the party, has already resigned from the party.

Conspiracy theories on geopolitics

The deadly protests attracted the attention of the international media, in India and beyond. Some of these news channels linked the Nepal violence with regional and global geopolitics.

Some segments of the general public have come up with the theory that foreign powers, mainly India and the US, and the West in general, played a part in overthrowing KP Oli out of power. The former prime minister was deemed very close to China, who intended to run cross-Himalayan railways and BRI projects and so forth. The tension apparently reached a boiling point after he invited, in a recent meeting in China, the Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kathmandu. The latter saw it as a great opportunity to start his foothold in South Asia.

The theory is something we cannot prove or disprove at the moment. We will probably never know the ultimate truth. It’s all down to hearsay, and there is no evidence to blame our neighbours and other friendly countries.

But, if there is an iota of truth in this conspiracy theory—that India and/or Western players designed the overthrow of the UML-Congress coalition—then they won. China, a growing rival for not just regional but world power, lost.

Failed attempt to restore monarchy?

It is widely held that the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and some other monarchist groups and individuals tried to restore monarchy in the fog of street battles. This was a perfect opportunity as Singha Durbar and Baluwatar and the President's Office had been overrun by protesters and set on fire, and the rulers were under army protection.

How much of this was pre-mediated, we don’t know. But the monarchists did make an effort to return King Gyanendra back to Narayanhiti. It was a dream come true. Apparently the army chief asked the President to resign and let the military take control of the situation. But, thankfully, President Ram Chandra Poudel refused to leave.

The President’s incredible bravery and courage even in those toughest hours, even when his life was in grave danger, saved our democracy, our multi-party system, our republican system. In a word, freedom.

Again, we still don’t know the whole truth. Whether or not this is a fact or fiction, the reputation of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, and of other monarchists, is in tatters. Their strategy to take advantage of the terrible anarchy and power vacuum has backfired.

To conclude, all the dearth and destruction notwithstanding, there are some outcomes that have a great potential for our future. Democracy has survived, some of the well-known populist propagandists have lost face, and the “kings without crowns” are under an obligation to retire and act as guardians of their parties and organisations. The second or third generation of leaders are likely to bring new hopes and aspirations for the county and its people. This is a potential gain of the so-called Gen Z mass movement.