top of page

By:

Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Digital Unrest

The streets of Kathmandu have turned into a battlefield, as young Nepalis clashed violently with police over the government’s attempt to...

Digital Unrest

The streets of Kathmandu have turned into a battlefield, as young Nepalis clashed violently with police over the government’s attempt to block social media platforms. At least 19 people died with nearly 400, including 100 security personnel, injured while the home minister resigned. The government reversed its decision but the scars remain. What began as protests against the government’s decision to block 26 social media platforms ostensibly for not registering under new regulations quickly spiralled into one of the most violent demonstrations in Kathmandu’s recent history. Millions of Nepalis, particularly from Gen Z, use social media not just to communicate, but to expose corruption, inequality and nepotism. Viral videos contrasted the stark realities of ordinary Nepalis with the luxurious lifestyles of the political elite, amplifying public discontent. The heavy-handed response, involving bullets, tear gas and water cannons, was a tactical failure but more importantly, a political one. It revealed a regime fearful of its own citizens and unable to accommodate the digital age’s demand for accountability. India, Nepal’s larger neighbour and a pivotal player in South Asian geopolitics, faces an urgent lesson from these developments. While India has its own complicated relationship with social media governance, its porous border with Nepal and shared ethnic, cultural and political affinities make it especially vulnerable to spillover effects. But vigilance alone is insufficient. The U.S., despite its professed advocacy for democracy, has a long record of covert interference in South Asia and elsewhere. In Bangladesh, for example, it is no secret that Washington’s tacit support emboldened protests to bring down a government that was friendly to India. Sri Lanka’s economic and political crisis, an implosion that was at least partly inflamed by foreign financial interests, stands as a cautionary tale of how external actors can manipulate fragile democracies. Nepal’s protests are particularly significant because they are led by the digital generation. Unlike earlier movements, which coalesced around political parties or labour unions, this one was apparently powered by social media itself. Efforts to suppress such platforms only fuel their allure. The ‘Nepo Kids’ videos that went viral were not the product of organized opposition but of ordinary citizens fed up with systemic injustice. After all, Nepal has seen more than a dozen governments since it transitioned to a republic after abolishing its 239-year-old monarchy in 2008 following a decade-long civil war. New Delhi must develop a sophisticated approach in dealing with the social media problem. It must invest in indigenous alternatives that are less susceptible to foreign manipulation. Regulatory frameworks should target misinformation and malicious interference. More important than surveillance is the ability of India’s democracy to absorb and address grievances before they metastasise into mass unrest. The challenge is not about rejecting digital platforms or suppressing all forms of dissent. It is about discerning manufactured agitation and ensuring that democracy is not hijacked by foreign agendas. In an age where geopolitics plays out online, India must act strategically, not reactively.

Parli’s Political Powder Keg

Munde

Come November 20, Maharashtra’s Parli constituency in Beed has become a rural microcosm for the heightened caste tensions in the Marathwada region. Long known as a stronghold of the Munde clan, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP’s Dhananjay Munde, who is the ruling Mahayuti’s candidate, is gearing up for a fiercely contested election where Maratha and OBC sentiments are set to clash in the wake of the Maratha quota agitation.


The ‘Jarange factor’ (after Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange-Patil) is poised to expose the undercurrents of caste politics in a region traditionally dominated by the BJP, particularly owing to the influence and legacy of late stalwart BJP leader Gopinath Munde.


For the BJP and the Mahayuti, the narrow defeat of their candidate Pankaja Munde in the Beed Lok Sabha constituency (of which Parli is part) battle earlier this year, was a major blow, with the Maratha sentiment playing a crucial role in her loss to Bajrang Sonawane of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP).


Pankaja had secured victories in Parli in both the 2009 and 2014 elections but fell short of a hat-trick in 2019, when her cousin Dhananjay Munde defeated her by over 30,000 votes. Over the past five years, the sibling rivalry has been set aside, with the duo mending their differences.


While Munde was later rehabilitated as an MLC, her cousin Dhananjay is up against the NCP (SP)’s strategic nominee, Rajesaheb Deshmukh. The canny Sharad Pawar, to capitalize on the caste schism, has fielded Deshmukh – a Maratha – against Munde, a Vanjari OBC leader.


Dhananjay, however, downplays the intensity of the Maratha sentiments, suggesting that the agitation under Jarange-Patil has now waned, though political observers remain sceptical. Earlier this month, Jarange-Patil, who had threatened to field his candidates from the Maratha community, had, in a surprise announcement, done a volte face, stating he was taking back his announcement.


The NCP (SP)’s fielding of Deshmukh, picked by Sharad Pawar, underscores not just the narrative of Maratha identity politics but of Pawar senior’s Machiavellian moves to counter Ajit Pawar’s top aides (among whom Dhananjay is counted as such).


In an unabashedly populist announcement, Deshmukh has promised to arrange marriages for bachelors in Parli if elected, highlighting the struggle of rural men to find brides due to lack of employment opportunities. Deshmukh criticized his rival Dhananjay Munde for failing to bring industries to the area, which he argued has worsened the situation for local youth seeking jobs and marriage prospects.


Meanwhile, seasoned NCP leader Prakash Solanke, who announced his ‘retirement’ from active politics just months ago, has re-entered the fray in neighbouring Majalgaon.


In October last year, a violent mob had pelted stones and torched Solanke’s home after the Maratha quota agitation under Jarange-Patil had taken a turn for the worse.


With several Maratha candidates to contest against Solanke in Majalgaon, the upcoming election will hinge around identity politics rather than about governance.


As for Parli, the balance of power will hinge on how effectively Dhananjay Munde can navigate the simmering discontent among Marathas and the OBC community’s concerns.

Comments

bottom of page