In 2022, independent candidate Balendra Shah took Nepali politics by storm after beating contenders from the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML in the local polls to become the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. It was a remarkable feat for a rapper more adept at throwing jibes and disses rather than at political rhetoric.

Following his election, Shah attracted more attention when he urged hotels in the city to make their restrooms accessible to the public, a request that some hotels accepted. This initiative significantly boosted his popularity.

Some of the plans he initiated after taking office earned praise but very few of them proved sustainable. Today, despite the lack of continuity and consistency of his own initiatives, Shah regularly uses social media to lambast governments and political parties.

Observers note that rather than addressing issues through calm and constructive dialogue, Shah tends to adopt a confrontational, populist style reminiscent of street activism.

Mayor Shah frequently finds himself embroiled in controversy due to his own remarks and often deletes those posts after they backfire.

Known for expressing ‘explosive opinions’ mostly through social media, he posted one at midnight on Saturday as well.

In the post, which included an offensive word, Shah mentioned the names of Nepal’s two neighbouring countries, China and India, the United States as well as Nepal’s major political parties.

The post littered with F-bombs had no context or background. It was just a litany of denunciations of big foreign powers and domestic political parties.

Despite the deletion of the post within minutes of posting, it sparked widespread criticism as he is considered a key individual behind the Gen Z movement. He also played a vital role in picking former chief justice Sushila Karki as the prime minister when the country was at a crucial juncture following prime minister KP Sharma Oli’s forced resignation.

When there was a leadership void after Oli’s resignation, Shah had called upon the agitating youths to join talks with the Nepali Army leadership. Within hours, thousands of agitating youths followed his appeal.

Then, he suggested the Gen Z groups support Karki for the prime ministerial post, building an environment in her favour.

Many believe that lawyer Om Prakash Aryal was picked as home minister at Shah’s behest, as Aryal had served as Shah’s legal adviser at the metropolis.

However, some of his recent remarks and statements from some individuals close to him have sparked speculations about ‘souring’ relations between Shah and Aryal.

After rumours started doing the rounds, the prime minister’s secretariat on Thursday issued a statement refuting the reports that Kathmandu Mayor Shah was engaged in efforts to remove Home Minister Aryal.

Prime Minister Sushila Karki, during an interaction with a group of journalists last week, spoke of Shah’s approach to dealing with other people. “Balen expresses his views, but he does not listen to ours,” she said, underscoring his tendency to be assertive but unresponsive to differing perspectives.

Pitambar Bhandari, head of the TU’s Peace and Conflict Management Department, says that Mayor Shah has gotten bolder with the failure to make him accountable for his past remarks.

According to Bhandari, Shah’s every move began to gain social acceptance after his victory, and civil society failed to question his conduct—ultimately leading to today’s situation whereby he seems answerable to no one.

“Shah is an elected public representative and yet he does not appear to be accountable to the people,” Bhandari said. “Instead, his legitimacy has been amplified by social media, which has created an environment where he feels no obligation to be answerable.”

Shah continues to act as a major stakeholder in the current government, frequently meeting Prime Minister Karki to present various demands and also talking to her often on the phone.

Karki told journalists during the interaction that Shah often meets and calls her to share his views.

The Office of the Prime Minister downplayed the issue, stating that “since Shah has already deleted his social media post, no good can be achieved by dragging it further,” according to an official at the prime minister’s secretariat. The official also maintains that his social media statements have nothing to do with the government.

This is not the first time Shah has stirred controversy. He threatened to “set fire to Singha Durbar”, the main administrative building, two years back after traffic police inquired about a municipal vehicle that was carrying his pregnant wife.

Many link the September 9 arson in Singha Durbar to that threat by Shah.

On another occasion, he dumped garbage in front of the Ministry of Urban Development when the ministry ignored his demands.

Despite that, his conduct has rarely come under serious scrutiny.

An activist known by the name Iih has also raised questions about Shah. “Though it may have taken time, everyone has now had the chance to reflect on this matter. The truth is out; it was bound to come out. Whether you choose to accept it or not is up to you. No messiah is coming to save us. The fact that the old ones failed does not give the new ones the right to repeat the same mistakes,” he wrote.

If one believes the wrong path can lead to the right outcome, it is mistaken, he said, arguing that there is no substitute for institution building and integrity.

“Shah is spreading hate speech, at a time when Nepali society is increasingly moving towards negativity,” says youth scholar of Marxism and researcher Nabean Tiwari.

According to Tiwari, Shah, who has a great fan following among young people, may be sending a message to politically curious youth that emotions rather than analysis should drive their actions.

“While Shah may not have been directly involved in trying to set Singha Durbar afire, his earlier inflammatory remarks could have encouraged people to believe that such an action was possible,” Tiwari said.

The Post’s attempts to get a response from Shah’s team for this story failed. Repeated efforts to contact his chief adviser Kumar Ben, personal secretary Bhoop Dev Shah, and press coordinator Surendra Bajgain also failed.

Experts on foreign relations describe Shah’s status on Saturday midnight as the height of irresponsibility. Likewise, they advise the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to seek clarification from him on his demeaning comments about Nepal’s three foreign friends.

Shah has often faced allegations that his more controversial remarks are made under the influence of intoxicants. Responding to the post that Shah uploaded and later deleted on Saturday night, Education Minister Mahabir Pun made a pointed remark about it on his social media account.

“Sometimes it seems some promising activists and leaders speak and write after taking a puff,” Pun wrote on Facebook. “There’s no problem with that. But I request everyone not to say or write anything while taking the puff.”

Shah has expressed no remorse for his posts.