3 min readApr 9, 2026 06:15 AM IST First published on: Apr 9, 2026 at 06:15 AM ISTNepal’s new government, led by Balendra Shah, is acting decisively to transform the politics of the Himalayan nation. Former PM K P Sharma Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested in less than 24 hours after the new PM and his cabinet were sworn in over their alleged involvement in a deadly crackdown on protesters last year that left 77 people dead and several injured.This newspaper’s editorial (Tarique Rahman and Balen Shah, stepping forward and back, IE, March 31) is right to flag the risks in such swift action. But it stops short of grappling with the political compulsion that frames these decisions. To see the arrests only as a question of prudence is to miss the force of the huge mandate that brought this government to office.AdvertisementThe scale of Shah’s mandate has brought with it equally high expectations. His Rastriya Swatantra Party, founded just four years ago, secured 182 of 275 seats, the largest mandate in Nepal’s modern electoral history. This was not a routine transfer of power but a decisive rejection of a political class widely perceived as unaccountable. In this context, early action was the clearest way to signal that the new order would not resemble the old.Power in Nepal has long rotated between major parties, including the Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal, and the Maoist Centre. The voters’ anger with these parties, tarnished by allegations of corruption, has been evident for years. The landslide victory of a relative newcomer shows a willingness to reset the political order. Since 2008, the country has seen 14 different governments, not one of which completed its five-year term. Corruption has permeated public institutions. Youth unemployment remains high, forcing many to seek work abroad, with remittances forming a significant share of the economy. These conditions are the source of the impatience that now shapes public expectations. The arrests, therefore, are less acts of excess and more responses to accumulated frustration.This is not to overlook the importance of due process. The editorial is correct in warning that disruption alone cannot be a substitute for durable reform. The government’s credibility will ultimately depend on how it institutionalises accountability. But acknowledging that challenge should not obscure why the government moved the way it did. Shah’s government faces familiar challenges: Ending corruption, creating jobs, improving infrastructure and service delivery, and balancing relations with India, China and the US. For India, political stability in Kathmandu is a practical necessity. The new government’s clear majority offers an opportunity for sustained engagement. Domestic legitimacy will shape how Nepal navigates these external relationships.AdvertisementThe challenge for the government is not only to act, but to ensure that action strengthens institutions. The editorial recognises this tension only partially. In moments shaped by overwhelming public mandate, even imperfect steps can be politically logical.Karki is a Kathmandu-based writer and businessman