Nepal unrest | Gen Z group wants to dissolve Parliament, amend Constitution

Kathmandu: Youth-led Gen Z group, which spearheaded the anti-government protests in Nepal, Thursday said that Parliament must be dissolved and the Constitution should be amended to reflect the will of the people, as the death toll from the demonstrations increased to 34.

The Gen Z protesters organised a press meet here to express their views, while some of their representatives were busy holding discussions with President Ramchandra Paudel and Army Chief Ashok Raj Sigdel at the Army Headquarters to find a solution to the current political crisis.

Speaking on the occasion, the Gen Z activists underlined the need to find a solution through dialogue and cooperation.

Diwakar Dangal, Amit Baniya and Junal Dangal - all representatives of the Gen Z group - were among those who spoke at the press meet.

They warned the old political parties not to use them for their vested interests. "This is purely a civilian movement, so don’t try to play politics with this,” one activist said.

Ojaswi Raj Thapa, 24, one of the representatives of the Nepali Gen Z, speaks during a press meet following Monday's deadly anti-corruption protests in Kathmandu, Nepal.

"There is a challenge in front of us to protect national sovereignty, unity, and maintain self-respect," Dangal said. "We all Nepalese should unite in this difficult situation to protect the welfare and interests of the Nepalese people.” Another activist said that the Parliament must be dissolved and the Constitution should be amended as per the spirit of the people.

"We don’t intend to scrap the constitution, but we want some major amendments to include people’s concerns,” he said.

Some of the activists expressed support for former Chief Justice Sushila Karki for the post of new Prime Minister, while others pitched for former CEO of Nepal Electricity Authority Kulman Ghising.

Another activist said they don’t intend to assume leadership of the country, but rather become just a watchdog. “We will not participate in the government, but rather we want to remain as a watchdog.” Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health said that 34 people have died so far during the protests held on Monday and Tuesday.

According to the ministry’s data, 1,338 individuals are receiving treatment at hospitals across the country, while 949 have already been discharged.

Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli quit on Tuesday shortly after hundreds of agitators entered his office demanding his resignation for the death of at least 19 people in police action during Monday's protests over corruption and a social media ban. The ban on social media was lifted Monday night.

President Paudel has accepted Prime Minister Oli's resignation but stated that the cabinet led by him will continue to run the government until a new Council of Ministers is formed.