Congress leader Udit Raj was on Thursday slammed by the Bharatiya Janata Party for allegedly drawing parallels between Nepal’s ‘Gen Z’ protests and India, while also citing Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as examples.
BJP leader CR Kesavan called the remarks “dangerous” and accused Udit Raj of “deliberately inciting unrest”, warning that such comments could trigger unnecessary panic among the public.
Udit Raj drew parallels between Nepal’s ongoing political turmoil, which saw the resignations of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli over social media ban and alleged corruption in the government and the situation in India.
He argued that although “circumstances are similar”, India’s Constitution and strong democratic foundation have prevented such upheavals, a legacy he credited to the Congress party.
In a post on X, Raj wrote, “People are discussing the way in which the public has overthrown power in Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, and whether such a thing could happen in India. Some are even suggesting the possibility of it occurring. In reality, the circumstances are similar, and in some cases even more so, but our Constitution prevents such actions. The roots of our democracy are very deep, which were laid by Congress.”
Hitting back, BJP’s Kesavan wrote, “These dangerous remarks from a senior Congress leader are blatantly anti-national and deliberately inciting unrest. The Congress leadership, both past and present, is always the greatest threat to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution. The Congress party in 1975 murdered our Constitution and massacred our democracy. These remarks mirror the same emergency mindset of the Congress.”
Ram Gopal Varma’s X post on Nepal protests
On Wednesday, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma also commented on the Nepal political crisis. Sharing his thoughts on X, Varma said a similar move in India is “unimaginable”.
Varma said no one can ever truly predict such events and expressed scepticism about the possibility of a Nepal-like situation occurring in India. He wrote, “The speculation on whether the NEPAL situation can ever happen in INDIA is pure nonsense, because even on 7 th September no one…could have predicted what will happen on 8 th September So all anyone can say is ‘IT WON’T HAPPEN UNTIL IT HAPPENS’.”
While the Nepal goverment has since rolled back its ban, Varma pointed out that no government in India would even attempt such a move. “But for sure SOCIAL MEDIA BAN won’t ever happen, because no GOVERNMENT will ever dare to attempt it in fear of burning themselves like NEPAL,” RGV said.
At least 30 killed in Nepal violence
The death toll from the protests had risen to at least 30 by Thursday, Nepal’s health ministry said, with 1,033 injured.
The demonstrations are popularly referred to as the “Gen Z” protests since most participants were young people voicing frustration at the government’s perceived failure to fight corruption and boost economic opportunities.
Government buildings, from the Supreme Court to ministers’ homes, including KP Sharma Oli’s private residence, were also set ablaze in the protests, which only subsided after the prime minister resigned.
Business establishments set on fire included several hotels in the tourist town of Pokhara and the Hilton in Kathmandu.
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