The country has now embarked on a new path. Despite constant complaints, the feelings of the people were not heard, which led the growing generation to take to the streets in protest, resulting in a change of power.

No one had ever imagined that the government led by KP Oli, formed from an alliance of the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, would collapse due to a two-day movement by the new generation. The movement centered in Kathmandu on Bhadra 23 and 24 has already resulted in the deaths of more than 74 people, while thousands have been injured. When buildings in the Singh Durbar complex—the center of the country’s governance—the Supreme Court, Kathmandu District Court, Special Court, and other government buildings were set on fire, important government documents there were burned and destroyed. The new Parliament building in Baneshwar became the main target of the protestors and was destroyed by fire. Across the country, not only the houses of those in power but also of opposition party leaders, businessmen, local leaders have been set ablaze.

The event where everything was thrown into chaos within two days, forcing the Prime Minister to resign and flee from Baluwatar under army protection, and the scene of protestors manhandling the power-sharing partner and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, clearly shows that no matter how powerful, the arrogance and pride of the rulers will be shattered by the people when the time comes.

While the background games of the movement are still being probed, the movement of Bhadra 23 and 24 has upheaved the entire fabric of Nepal. The police administration and the civil service were seen as complete failures. The permanent institutions of the state seem to have been so suppressed in the company of political undesirables that they cannot exercise their own discretion. The administration, justice, and the state’s regulatory and controlling bodies have been transformed into mechanisms, trained more by political power for monetary gain than by law, designed to suppress those who do not serve their interests.

It is wrong to generalize that all individuals in political parties are bad. There are also people who make sacrifices for the country and work for its progress. The failure of arrogant and stubborn rulers to transfer power to the new generation, and the inability to achieve generational transition within the party due to the reliance on power and money, are the tragedies of those respective parties. A tragedy that proved fatal for the country. On the other hand, the attempt by old-style politics to suppress a capable generation that can interact with world civilization has become a curse for the country.

The young leaders within the so-called parties with a history could not legally wrest the party organization from the old leaders. Rather, the energy of the youth was wasted as they were forced to wait their turn, perhaps even wishing for a quicker intervention by fate. They themselves have started growing grey hair and are turning into the old generation while waiting.

The 079 election had raised hopes in politics through the new generation’s representative candidates. But the old power structure expended its energy in entrapping them in various hassles, saying things like, “You even peed on the road back then.” Instead of welcoming the new generation by accepting the people’s mandate, they kept spending energy on creating disgust among the people towards the new generation and power itself.

The current rebellion is absolutely the natural grievance of the new generation. The failure to understand and address this grievance in time was political shortsightedness. To still delay on this or that pretext is to push the country towards ruin.

The power hunger and incompetence of that same old political generation and those who hover around them, reveling in the procession of power, are causing the country to slip from our hands. We must not let future generations, when reading world history, have to read that a country called Nepal once existed as an independent entity. There is still time. It is beneficial to move forward by compromising with the new generation. Let’s come to our senses and take a wise step forward.