The Tamesis
February 3, 2026
kathmandu – CPN-UML president and former prime minister KP Sharma Oli appears to have softened his stance on the Gen Z uprising on September 8-9 that ousted the UML-Congress alliance he led.
Oli took a tough stance during and after the protests, repeatedly accusing the youth-led movement of external interference and harshly criticizing protesters as arsonists. The demonstrations have been driven largely by Generation Z activists, who accuse mainstream political parties and their leaders of corruption, poor governance and poor service delivery.
What started as a peaceful anti-corruption campaign turned deadly on its first day when police shot and killed 17 unarmed young men in front of Parliament House in New Baneshwar on September 8. In response, protests escalated the next day, spreading across the country and becoming violent and destructive. The death toll rose to 77, with several injured protesters later dying.
At that time, representatives of Generation Z and members of civil society publicly accused then Prime Minister Oli of using excessive force to suppress the movement, but Oli always denied this accusation.
After the collapse of this government, Oli saw an interim government take over, dissolve parliament, and call early elections on March 5. He has now returned to the electoral fray from Jhapa-5 with a decidedly softer tone on the Gen Z uprising.
In a video interview with journalist Ghanshyam Khadka, Oli also appeared to be trying to send a message to angry young people that they should be treated as “heroes”.
He said Generation Z should become advocates for creativity, innovation, research, construction and start-ups, and become leaders of society.
“They should not be a generation that loots the country or sets it on fire, but a generation that earns money with dignity and contributes to the development of the country,” Oli said in an interview.
Ollie further divided Gen Z into two groups. In the interview, he described one party as “irresponsible”, while the other party believed that the other party was thoughtful and capable of understanding the country’s national conditions and distinguishing right from wrong. In doing so, the four-time prime minister hopes to address sentiments in the movement that he had earlier dismissed.
When the former prime minister returned to Kathmandu from Jhapa, his recalibration became evident. On January 28, Oli issued a statement on social media denying that he had ordered security forces to fire during the protests.
“I am deeply saddened by the deaths of 19 children,” Ollie wrote on Facebook. “I am ready to respond publicly on any platform.”
Oli is widely expected to face a tough challenge from Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balun, who resigned as Kathmandu mayor to replace the former prime minister and emerged as a prominent figure after the September uprising.
Shah traveled to Jhapa on January 19 to file his candidacy before the Election Commission’s January 20 deadline and received a warm welcome from the public. Oli was also filing nominations in the region at that time.
While Shah is increasingly portrayed by supporters as a symbol of the progressive change generated by the Gen Z movement, critics often portray Oli as representing the old political order that the protests are trying to change.
Speaking about the aftermath of the violence, Oli said a commission of inquiry headed by a former judge has been probing the killings and related issues. He expressed his condolences, adding that he remained deeply saddened by the loss of 19 lives on September 8.
Min Bahadur Shahi, UML publicity and publication minister, said the party’s policy on the events of September 8 and 9 remained firm “despite the soft tone of the party president”.
“Our party upholds young people’s right to protest,” Shahi told The Washington Post. “But our party also firmly believes that the burning of public and private property on September 9 should also be investigated.”
After 19 people died on the first day of Gen Z protests, billions of dollars worth of government, public and private property was destroyed across the country on September 9. A government-appointed committee to assess the damage caused by the Gen Z protests estimated the loss at around Rs 3,931 crore.
Left-leaning political analyst Jhalak Subedi believes Oli is under pressure after returning to Kathmandu from his constituency. Subedi, however, said that despite Oli’s softening, he remains tough on the Gen Z protests and claiming that he has changed his views would be a misjudgment.
“Although Oli seems to have softened his stance on the Gen Z uprising on September 8-9, he is still unwilling to accept any mistakes on his part,” Subedi said. “We should also look at his comments about the events of September 9.”
“You will make the country victorious. Not even one out of 165 seats should be allowed to be against the country,” Oli said while addressing a gathering of party workers organized at the Okhaldhunga-Kathmandu Liaison Forum in Chabahil, Kathmandu on Saturday.
He described the upcoming election as a battle between those who want to “burn the country down” and those who want to “build the country.”
In a veiled reference to his rival Balen Shah in Jhapa-5, Oli said
