KATHMANDU: Tanuja Pandey, a leader of the Gen-Z movement, has strongly criticized the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) for giving a parliamentary election ticket to an individual allegedly involved in arson and vandalism at the Federal Parliament building.
Pandey specifically targeted Krishna Kumar Karki, the RSP candidate from Morang-2, stating that a destructive individual is being presented as a change-maker.
She wrote on Facebook: “My generation took to the streets, demanded accountability for taxes, faced bullets, and some even died for change. Yet today, all responsibility for destruction is being placed on Gen-Z’s shoulders.”
Karki is accused of participating in the vandalism and arson at the Federal Parliament complex in New Baneshwor on September 9, during the Gen-Z protests. Reports indicate he entered the parliament building and was among those who set fire to chairs and damaged property. Video clips of the incident, reportedly shared by Karki himself on social media, continue to circulate widely on Facebook and TikTok.
The RSP’s decision to field individuals allegedly involved in such incidents has sparked widespread criticism on social media. Many have questioned, “How can someone who burned the parliament and damaged national property be deemed eligible to contest elections?”
Karki, originally from Ratuwamai-9, Morang, had previously publicly criticized RSP chief Rabi Lamichhane while living in Japan, calling him a cooperative fraud following the parliamentary probe committee report. He had also accused Lamichhane of wrongdoing, which added to discontent within the party.
Now, Karki has been nominated under the Balendra “Balen” faction of RSP for the House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5. The nomination has intensified debates over the party’s candidate selection process and raised questions about political ethics.
Comment