“We’ll Pull Them Down”: Gen Z Protesters Revolt Against Nepal’s New PM Just 2 Days Into Job

Kathmandu was on edge yet again late Sunday night after youth leader Sudan Gurung and his Hami Nepal group staged a protest outside newly appointed Prime Minister Sushila Karki’s residence in Baluwatar, demanding her resignation just two days after she took office as the country’s first interim leader backed by the Gen Z movement.

Chanting slogans like “Don’t play politics over the dead” and “PM should resign,” protesters included families of those killed during the recent Gen Z uprising that swept Nepal earlier this month. The anger stems from Karki’s appointment of three key ministers without consulting Hami Nepal, a move seen by many as a betrayal of the youth-led campaign that propelled her to power.

The new cabinet includes Om Prakash Aryal, legal adviser to Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah, as home minister; Rameshwor Khanal, former finance secretary, as finance minister; and Kulman Ghising, former electricity authority chief, as energy minister. While intended as a technocratic team, Gurung accused Aryal in particular of “grabbing power by sitting inside closed doors.”

The rift marks a sharp turn for Gurung, who only days earlier bowed at Karki’s feet during her swearing-in by President Ram Chandra Poudel. Now, he accuses her of sidelining the youth coalition. “The most powerful people in Nepal are the people. No one can stop us. We will pull them down from where we placed them,” Gurung told crowds outside Baluwatar.

Earlier in the day, tensions had already boiled over during a press conference at Kathmandu’s Reporters Club, where Gurung’s fiery remarks about backroom negotiations sparked a physical scuffle between his supporters and journalists.

Gurung insists the Gen Z movement does not seek to scrap Nepal’s Constitution but demands sweeping reforms: the dissolution of Parliament, an interim administration shaped by youth voices, and the rise of new, untainted leaders. “We don’t need a prime minister or a government for the sake of it. We want change. Every Nepali’s voice must be heard,” he said.

Also Read: Sushila Karki Sworn In as Nepal’s Interim Prime Minister