The Nepal Weekly 
September 3, 2024
Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah has given a blow to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli amid escalating animosity between Balen supporters and CPN-UML cadres and leaders.
Shah demanded the arrest of CPN-UML Lumbini Province MP Rekha Sharma on his social media page on Sunday evening. Now he requested that Prime Minister Oli to give lessons on general knowledge to UML leaders and cadres.
Balen took to Facebook again Monday. He mentioned that Rekha Kumari Sharma, a Lumbini Provincial UML MP, has stated that she has been filing cases in the Supreme and High Courts to avoid going to jail for the crime she committed. She would lose the case, claimed Balen.
Shah wrote on Facebook that the police had not investigated the charge against her. Case has not been filed in the court, and all we have requested is that action be taken in accordance with the crime she committed.
“Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, you should train your cadres in general knowledge before involving them in politics because if you get the chance to run the country later without such knowledge, their situation will be the same as yours, following others’ orders,” Balen told Oli.
A child worker was rescued from UML cadre Rekha Sharma’s home in June. KMC rescued the child as Sharma used to beat the minor and forced her to work every day, abusing her fundamental rights. She is currently being housed by an organisation.
Kathmandu Metropolis has moved court for legal action against Sharma for forcing minors to work as domestic chores. Mayor Shah said that despite the court ordering the case to be prosecuted, Sharma was not arrested.
“Honourable PM Khadga Prasad Oli Jyu. Good governance entails obeying a court order, which includes arresting your MP, Rekha Sharma, who has a history of child abuse.”
His post reads further, “Perhaps for you, good governance implies shedding crocodile tears and making a hundred thousand Facebook announcements following the death of an innocent girl. When will you nab her?” he questioned.
Prime Minister Oli has not responded to this. The CPN-UML’s fraternal organisation, which includes the district committee and ANNFSU, has already entered the fray.
Deepak Niraula, president of the UML Kathmandu, submitted a 7-point memorandum warning the KMC that if the decision not to allow construction in the mentioned area is not reversed, unusual circumstances will arise, potentially leading to serious consequences.
Meanwhile, ANNFSU President Samik Badal accused Mayor Balen of colluding with the Indian intelligence agency on Facebook. Badal’s status updates reveal that Balen rents a house behind the Sangrila Hotel (now closed) and meets with the Indian Intelligence Agency on regular basis.
Badal also defended Rekha Sharma, who posted another defensive status after being chastised for using abusive language against Balen. He stated that if MP Sharma is found to have committed child abuse, the party and the government should take legal action.
Although MP Sharma’s alleged child labour exploitation is flaunted, this is not the primary reason for UML and Balen’s conflict. This is due to restrictions on the construction of buildings and other structures along Kathmandu’s riverside.
The Bagmati and its tributary rivers like Bishnumati and Manohara in Kathmandu have a 20-metre right-to-left flow area. According to the SC order, no structures can be built in the river’s downstream area, states Mayor Balen.
He has also advises that Party leaders and cadres should avoid causing public confusion by misinterpreting the court order as the metropolis’ decision. However, the UML is saying that the KMC’s notification affects and victimises thousands of people, so the decision must be reversed.
