Nepal In Flames: Sita's Abode Deserves India's Ram

Nepal is in flames again. Not the kind that warms you on a winter evening, but the kind that burns down ministerial bungalows and sends prime ministers scurrying into helicopters. KP Sharma Oli, who fancied himself a Chinese statesman in Nepali clothing, has vanished. Vanished, like a magician’s rabbit, except the rabbit doesn’t usually leave the whole circus on fire.

The violence, the stone-pelting, the arson - none of this should surprise anyone. Nepal has been a republic for less than two decades, but its politicians have achieved in years what others fail to do in centuries: they have squandered public trust entirely. Oli was the perfect embodiment of this rot - corrupt, compromised, and utterly servile to Beijing. The Chinese treated him like their poodle; he barked when told to, and wagged his tail when commanded.

But to blame Beijing alone would be unfair. Washington, too, is never far behind when a small country is up for grabs. America has made regime change in South Asia a habit, like some people collect stamps, others topple governments. Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh, Imran Khan in Pakistan, and now Oli in Nepal: three birds shot with the same bullet of "strategic interest."

Still, what is happening in Nepal is not only about Chinese or American meddling. It is about Nepalis themselves. They are tired of corrupt politicians holidaying in Italy while they struggle for daily bread. They are tired of leaders who rewrite history, claiming Lord Ram was theirs, while selling their land piece by piece to the Chinese. They are tired of being treated as tenants in their own country. That is why the anger spilled onto the streets. That is why the army is out, and the police have thrown up their hands.

Now comes the dangerous part. A vacuum in politics is like a buffet in Delhi, everyone wants a plate. Already, Kathmandu’s flamboyant mayor, rapper-turned-politician Balen Shah, has been named as the next prime minister. Why not? At this point, even a half-sober rickshaw driver would be an improvement on Oli.

India, of course, cannot sit back. For us, Nepal is not just a neighbour; it is family. Our gods, our temples, including the sacred abode of Sita, and our armies are tied together. The Indian Army Chief is honorary head of Nepal’s Army, and vice versa. But family ties also bring responsibility. If we don’t step in to steady the ship, someone else will, and that someone is likely to be either Beijing or Washington. Neither can be trusted to leave Nepal in peace.

The tragedy is that Nepal is now a banana republic without the bananas. Its leaders are greedy, its institutions weak, its youth restless, and its sovereignty up for auction. Unless Nepalis themselves wake up, they will continue to be ruled not from Kathmandu, but from Beijing and Washington.

And perhaps that is the saddest part: a country with such proud history, such brave people, such deep cultural roots, reduced to a geopolitical football.

It could be said more brutally, of course. But one thing is clear: Nepal deserves better than clowns like Oli and the puppeteers who pull his strings.