Submit your Article

A clash broke out between Yuwa Sangh, youth wing of the CPN-UML, and Durga Prasain group at Balkhu in Kathmandu on Thursday.

The both groups which took to the streets against the government engaged in a clash this afternoon.

Durga Prasain group and Yuwa Sangh cadres hurled stones at each other after the latter reached Balkhu by taking out a motorcycle rally.

The gold is being traded at Rs 116, 500 per tola in the domestic market on Thursday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 115, 950 per tola.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,455 per tola today.

Every citizen is bound by the law. It applies to everyone from rulers to people. But Durga Prasain has been doing some activities, making statements which have directly violated the law. The government, however, is pretending like nothing is wrong.

Example 1

According to section 15 of the Procedure for use of the National Flag and National Anthem (First Amendment), 2076, it is prohibited to use the National Anthem in an insulting and inappropriate manner. Section 17 of the same Procedure has given the responsibility of monitoring and regulating it to the Chief District Officer.

Recently, Prasain has organized a program by playing Nepal's monarchy-era national anthem, which is a great insult to the national anthem of the country and against the Constitution and law.

Not only that, he had made many such derogatory remarks that could incite violence and disrupt social harmony.

Example 2

Marwadis, who were expelled from Burma (Myanmar), entered Nepal in the 1970s. These 16 families have ruled the Nepalis.

Example 3

(Taking the name of party leaders) has become a problem for all! Because, I am right. Do not mess with the right person. You will be broken into pieces.

Example 4

Let them bring all the women, I will settle the issue by buying a house each to all. My father married seven times. I am not a coward.

Example 5

Your loans up to Rs 2 million will be written off on the night when the system is changed. The next day, you can walk freely.

Political analyst Dr Lokraj Baral said that the activities of Prasain, which have put democracy achieved through much struggle and sacrifices at peril, are objectionable.

He is doing such things just to be viral in social media.

Baral was of the opinion that Prasain became popular among the people by raising their issues.

“Will monarchy be restored just by saying to exempt the interest of bank and financial institutions’ loans and by raising the issues of people’s frustration and dissatisfaction? This is just a strategy to influence the people, I don’t think this will work,” he said.

He suggested that the government should move ahead strongly to control such illegal activities.

Another political analyst Shyam Shrestha said that the illegal activities of Durga Prasain have no meaning.  “His movement will neither change the system nor wipe out the republic,” he said, adding, “The Republic was not only brought by leaders. It was achieved through a great sacrifice and contribution of the people. King was not thrown out of the throne without any reason. It is not that easy to restore the monarchy.”

Prasain started the campaign to not pay the interest on the loans he has taken from several banks, Shrestha said.

His public remarks to not pay the banks loans is objectionable and a challenge to the rule of law.

“The protests can be staged peacefully. The government should pay attention and take stringent action if the protests are organized in a chaotic manner,” Shrestha further said.

Maniram Gyawali, Chairman of the Struggle Committee Against Microfinance Institutions, claimed that the victims of microfinance institutions will not be freed from Prasain who has been advocating for monarchy and Hindu state.

Prasain came to limelight after he hosted a lunch for CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal with Marsi rice, a special variety of rice known for its unique aroma and distinct flavor.

Meanwhile, Yuwa Sangh, the youth wing of the UML, and its founder Mahesh Basnet have come out openly to challenge Durga Prasain who for months have clashed verbally.

After both sides decided to organize a program in the same place (Maitighar), the District Administration Office, Kathmandu has issued a prohibitory order in Maitighar to prevent any untoward incidents.

Three persons died and one was injured when two motorcycles collided with each other at Sanhaitha-based Nayachowk of Siraha Municipality-19 on Wednesday.

The deceased have been identified as Dinesh Kumar Yadav (25), Ram Briksha Yadav (32) and Mukesh Kumar Singh (19) of Arna Rural Municipality-5, Siraha, the District Police Office, Siraha said.

The motorbike (Sa 2 Pa 4531) heading towards west from east collided head-on with another motorbike (Pradesh 2-01-001 Pa 1850) last night.

They breathed their last during the course of treatment at the Provincial Hospital in Siraha.

Yavaraj Kumar Yadav (15), who was injured in the incident, has been taken to Biratnagar for further treatment.

In a veiled reference to Durga Prasain, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has asserted that the aspirations of those seeking to dismantle the Federal Democratic Republic will not materialize.

Prasai, a businessperson, is gearing up for a demonstration on Thursday, gathering support for reinstatement of monarchy and declaration of Nepal as a Hindu country.

At an event of the Nepal Sambat main celebration committee, PM Dahal said: Remnants of defeated feudal elements are attempting a final resurgence but their ambitions will never see the light of the day.

Any attempt to overthrow the federal democratic republican polity will have serious consequences, he warned: The government will enforce stricter measures against those conspiring against the system.

“The present system is the result of a long and hard struggle and sacrifices. Under the federal democratic republic, long-suppressed communities have gotten their rights,” Dahal said, urging everyone to safeguard and institutionalize these and other achievements.

Meanwhile, CPN-UML Chair KP Oli has accused the government of fostering disruptive activities within the nation. Speaking at the central committee meeting of the UML that commenced on Wednesday, Oli criticized the government for not curbing activities against the political system and efforts to upset ethnic and religious harmony. Instead of controlling such activities, the government is promoting them, Oli charged, adding, “Certain elements trying to raise their heads under the banner of monarchy, an institution already consigned to history.”

Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa, speaking with the media in Chitwan on Wednesday, said, “Nowadays, people’s dissatisfaction is growing and certain interests are seeking to cash in on it.”

Thapa stressed the need to address the causes of growing discontent to sap such interests. 

Durga Prasai is a businessman and a rabble-rouser, whose singular mission is to upset the existing political system. Before the government banned TikTok, his rants against politicians, particularly from the CPN-UML—with which he was briefly associated with—were hard to miss. 

Now Prasai is leading a campaign to get rid of the existing political system and restore monarchy and Hindu state. His group is due to organize a mass rally in Kathmandu today. To make this show of strength a success, his group has been working for months setting up an office at Koteshwor, adjacent to the Maoist party office. 

Prasai’s team members claim thousands of people from around the country will be attending the rally. The group has reserved hundreds of private buses to transport the rally participants and booked more than two dozen party venues in Kathmandu Valley for accommodation.  Authorities in Kathmandu are on high alert, particularly after UML’s Youth Wing has also planned to take out a rally of its own. Tensions have been shimmering between Prasai and UML for some time now, and the security agencies are trying hard to prevent them from clashing.  

Prasai has announced that they will continue to protest until their demands are addressed. Their demands are wide, from restoration of monarchy to exemption of bank loans and reimbursement of deposits to the victims of fraud microfinance firms. Sources say Prasai and royalist forces are preparing to organize a series of protests and they have funneled in large amounts of money to keep their campaigns running.  

Organizing a mass rally in Kathmandu is a costly affair. According to one Nepali Congress leader, it costs at least Rs 30 million to organize a mass rally in the Capital city. So, who is funding Prasai? A member of Prasai’s campaign team says Prasai himself will foot the majority of expenses. But this claim is far from convincing, as Prasai himself has stated publicly that he is struggling to pay the interest on the loans he has taken from several banks. 

Some say Prasai organized the campaign with the express purpose of lowering the bank interests which he is unable to pay.  Another source of money for Prasai’s costly campaign is said to be a group of industrialists and business persons who wish to get rid of the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government. As Prasai is also campaigning for restoration of monarchy and Hindu state, some royalist sympathizers have also funded the campaign through personal donations. 

Many royalist forces, including some leaders of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, have publicly said that they will be offering moral support for Prasai.  A source privy to Prasai’s campaign tells ApEx that the group has pooled sufficient funds from multiple sources.

Prasai has also amassed a large supporter base by offering them unrealistic hopes. Many of these supporters include the victims of fraud micro-finances, cooperatives and loan sharks. Over the past year, thousands of loan shark victims and people who lost their savings to fraud cooperatives have been staging protests in Kathmandu, pleading with the authorities to help them get their savings back. With the government unable to fully reimburse the victims, Prasai has rallied them behind him by promising to return their lost money. 

Prasai has also pledged to his supporters that loans up to Rs 2 million will be written off if his campaign succeeds. Then there are those people who have been hit hard by the current economic recessions. They too are supporting Prasai, hoping that his campaign will set the country’s economy right. 

It is clear that the people who are supporting Prasai are desperate to get out of their financial predicament. It is also clear that Prasai is simply exploiting them to fulfill his own vested interests. 

Hinting at Prasai, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Wednesday said that the government will not tolerate any act of anarchy. 

But Prasai seems bent on carrying on with his way as an agitator. He has also been emboldened by the sheer number of his supporters. It is because of his supporters that Prasai has been delivering provocative and objectionable statements during public events without caring for consequences. 

One particular case involves Prasai making derogatory remarks against the Marwadi community. There is another case filed against him with the Dhanusha District Police Office for playing the old national anthem at a program organized by a Hindu outfit.

Over the past few months, Prasai’s primary target has been CPN-UML and its Chairman KP Sharma Oli. He has made several unfounded allegations against Oli and UML. 

As Prasai has been going after the UML, says one politician, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has allowed him to attack the main opposition party and its leaders. But now that Prasai is organizing a mass rally in Kathmandu, he says the prime minister is fearful that the street protest could go out of hand, even remove him from power.

UML Chairman Oli has blamed the Dahal government for creating a conducive environment for regressive elements. He has sternly demanded the prime minister to either suppress them or quit the government.

A senior Nepali Congress leader claims Prasai is being used by some internal and external forces to bring back monarchy after the Rastriya Prajatantra Party failed to do so.

But some observers say Prasai is popular because there are many people in Nepal who have grown immensely frustrated with the major political parties. Prasai’s anti-establishment position resonates with a large section of the masses. In many ways, say observers, the political parties of Nepal are responsible for creating a figure like Prasai.

The Karnali police have launched the QR code system in a bid to facilitate people file police complaints.

With this, people no longer need to reach police offices far away from rural villages to lodge complaints as the police have pasted QR stickers at their homes. In some cases, it takes hours for people in rural areas to reach nearby police offices for registering complaints. 

Deputy Inspector General of Police Bhim Prasad Dhakal, the provincial police chief, inaugurated the QR code system amid a function here.

Now, Karnali residents can file a police complaint from their home through QR code, said civil society leader Rajendra Bikram Shah. 

Stating that the police have launched seven campaigns to build a safe Karnali, Dhakal said the QR system had come into operation with the aim of ensuring the safety of citizens and providing services in an easy manner.

"We have run this campaign to increase citizens' trust in security, be closer to them and provide convenient services to them. Complaints received through QR code will be classified into three types," he said.

Investigations will start immediately if the complaint is of a more urgent nature. Investigations will be launched within three days if the complaint is of an urgent nature, and within five days if it is of a general type, he said.

The legal process will be preceded by maintaining the confidentiality of the complainant, he added.

The west face of the main building of Singha Durbar which was damaged by the 2015 earthquake has been rebuilt.

With the completion of the rebuilding works, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has officially moved to his new office. The inauguration ceremony took place today.

On the occasion, the Prime Minister said the relocation symbolized not just a change in location, but also his resolution to move ahead innovatively.

The 120-year-old structure was reconstructed while preserving its original architecture.

"We have transitioned from backward to forwards. In the previous office setup, I often felt a bit congested and would not feel much refreshed," he said, adding that he found the new office chamber more spacious and refreshing and hoped that its atmosphere and surroundings will help him think more innovatively.

He also thanked the Urban Development Ministry and the team involved in the rebuilding process.

According to Urban Development Minister Sita Gurung, who was present on the occasion, now the project to retrofit the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has been completed. The project costs Rs 4.2 million.