🎭 Political Theatre | Gen Z ups the ante in Nepal; Winds of change at Rashtrapati Bhavan

Greetings Readers,

'A week is a long time in politics' is a good old saying which holds true in the current context. The week that passed by was a tumultuous one in politics -- both at the national level and worldwide.

It began with a wave of protest gripping Nepal as it became the third Asian country after Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to lose its government following public outrage. Public anger reached its zenith in Kathmandu with 'Gen Z' taking to streets following a ban on social media by the Nepali government with the KP Sharma Oli regime digging up its own grave.

Winds of change came in New Delhi with C P Radhakrishnan taking oath as the 15th vice president of the country after an election which went more or less on expected lines, while the fissures in opposition camp were exposed with many lawmakers jumping the ship.

Across the south of Vindhya's, the 'leadership tussle' in Karnataka continued with deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar dropping sufficient hints that he is ready to take the top job, though Siddaramaiah is showing no signs of giving up the coveted chair.

In the neighbouring Tamil Nadu, family feud has spilled to the streets with PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss expelling his son Dr Anbumani from the party which is a further jolt for NDA in the state, who have already been hit hard by a spate of exodus of many leaders in recent times.

Meanwhile, there seems to be no end in sight for Gaza crisis with Israel targeting Hamas' political base in Qatar.

Here's a quick recap of the week's action in DH Political Theatre.

Gen Z raises the tempo

The Nepal government had to pay price for suppressing freedom as it was overthrown after a flurry of protests initiated by 'Gen Z' with many people losing their lives in the melee. In a country where social media ranks above entertainment, it was naïve on the part of the K P Sharma Oli regime to place a blanket ban on a platform which has served as a source of news in the country. Nepal followed the likes of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka where public fury resulted in toppling of the government.

Though the circumstances that led to the downfall of government in Nepal is different from that of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, a common factor is that each movement began with a specific grievance that flared up, ending in the rejection of the government or its autocratic leaders.

The military had to take control of the streets as the tiny Himalayan nation of 30 million people was plunged into chaos after security forces tried to crush rallies by young anti-corruption protesters, culminating in widespread violence.

Winds of change at Rashtrapati Bhavan

The country got its 15th vice president with ex-Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan assuming office on Friday.

The NDA-backed candidate polled 452 votes, defeating I.N.D.I.A. bloc's nominee B Sudershan Reddy, who got only 300 votes in a contest which went along expected lines, while the division in the opposition camp was palpable with as many as 13 lawmakers cross-voting for the rival candidate.

A RSS strongman to the core, Radhakrishnan has his task cut out in the second-highest constitutional post of the country.

Leadership change?

Ever since Congress regained power in Karnataka in 2023, the vexed issue of leadership has been troubling the Grand Old Party. Once the election results were announced, the grapevine at that time was that party had done a secret power-sharing deal between its two tall leaders -- Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar -- wherein the duo would share the chief minister's chair for a term of two-and-a-half years each. However, much has changed in the last two years with Siddaramaiah holding a vice-like grip over the administration and Shivakumar apparently becoming increasing restless to grab the 'hot seat'.

Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief and holds plum portfolios of Bengaluru Development and Town Planning, has time and again expressed his intention to move one rank up in the corridors of power, for which he has been pulled up at times by the party high command.

Last week also, he dropped a hint by saying "without hope, there is no life" when asked about the possibility of leadership change.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave in Coimbatore, the Karnataka Deputy CM added, "My party high command is the whole and soul for us; we go by their directions. Whatever they decide, we accept."

Shivakumar is known to be a deeply religious as well as superstitious person. His frequent temple visits, that too on auspicious occasions, lend further credence to it. Insiders say that he has taken a vow to shave his beard only after becoming the chief minister. With Siddaramaiah set to complete two-and-a-half years in office soon, is Shivakumar ready to wipe the slate clean? Only time will say.

Family feud spills into street

If it is leadership tussle in Karnataka, then it is family feud in the neighbouring Tamil Nadu. The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) was plunged into a big crisis last week when its founder Dr S Ramadoss expelled his son and former Union Minister Dr Anbumani from the primary membership of party on Thursday, citing “unprecedented anti-party activities” and accusing him of being a “misfit” in politics.

A defiant Anbumani refused to budge though, going for fishing on the day of his expulsion and saying that the decision was not acceptable.

The father-son duo have been at loggerheads for a while. Last year, Anbumani had publicly accused his father of promoting dynastic politics following Ramadoss’ decision to anoint his grandson Parasuraman Mukundan as party youth wing chief. Ramadoss Sr then demoted his son as working president before taking over as party chief this year.

The feud within the first family of PMK turned ugly last month when Ramadoss accused Anbumani of planting bugging device beneath his chair at his farmhouse in Thailapuram.

And now, the final nail in the coffin has come with the ouster of Anbumani from the party, which has a sizable following among the Vanniyars, which is a dominant community, spread across northern and central parts of the state .

The fissures in PMK is also a huge blow for NDA in Tamil Nadu, which is now left with only two major parties -- AIADMK and BJP. NDA has been disarray in the state with O Panneerselvam T T V Dhinakaran exiting the alliance and the family feud in PMK, which has now spilled into the streets, is diminishing its prospects further in the ensuing Assembly elections.

Middle East on the boil

There seems to be no end in sight for the the West Asia crisis with the latest escalation coming in the form of an attack by Israel on Hamas' base in Qatar.

Several blasts were heard in Doha as black smoke rose over the skyline of the Qatari capital last week.

Shortly after the explosion, the Israel Defense Forces issued a statement that it had targeted “senior leadership” of Hamas with “a precise strike” in a joint operation with the Shin Bet security agency.

The strikes in energy-rich nation on the Arabian Peninsula where the Palestinian group's political bureau is based, come less than two weeks after Israel Armed Forces chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir vowed to target the group's leaders based abroad.

It is worth mentioning that Hamas and Israel have held multiple rounds of indirect ceasefire negotiations brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US throughout the nearly two-year Gaza war.

Qatar has hosted Hamas' political leadership for years in Doha, in part over a request by the US to encourage negotiations to end the war that started with Hamas' attack on Israel nearly two years ago.

Despite two temporary truces, the talks have failed to bring a lasting end to the war.

That concludes the developments for this week folks! We will be back next week with more. Till then, stay tuned to DH.

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DH Newsletter Team