Kathmandu, May 23
As part of their protest against the KP Sharma Oli government, students leaders from the Nepal Students’ Union operated a toy ship and a toy train outside Prime Minister’s official residence, making a mockery of PM Oli’s plans to operate Nepal’s own ship and bring the train to Kathmandu. Earlier in the day, they staged a demonstration by showing empty cooking gas cylinders and water jars, in a bid to draw the government’s attention towards a shortage of cooking gas and drinking water.
The ‘Oli Express’ vessels sporting the national flag showed NSU leaders were trying to experiment with some new way of protesting, probably in view of the fact that protests are an everyday affair for Nepal’s political parties that are not in government.
The NSU has been maintaining that the government has failed to control inflation, black marketing and corruption. Prime Minister Oli has come under fire from several quarters for floating ambitious projects at a time when his government has failed to expedite development works, provide for earthquake victims, control black marketing, inflation and corruption.
In this scenario, while sections of the society are saying it’s good to dream big, others are busy portarying Oli as a comic figure.
What do you think of this protest? Granted that one has the right to protest against PM, but is it okay to hoist the national flag on mock trains and ships in a way that points at our inability to operate such vessels?
Feel free to comment.
