By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel

While the teachers under the banner of Nepal’s Teachers Federation were hitting the streets, exerting pressure on the government to fulfil their demands, Kathmandu Metropolitan City had something to tell the people. According to media reports, Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol was not happy with the working style of Mayor Balendra Shah saying the Mayor’s actions were just a publicity stunt and not genuine efforts to uplift the Kathmandu Valley. On April 24 the simmering conflict reached the epicentre when she rebuked Balen’s leadership and extolled the statesmanship of Oli, a staunch Balen critic.

Balendra Shah is energetic, a rapper, a professional engineer and impulsive. He has the vision to facelift Kathmandu Valley and make it a better place with reliable services. He is not afraid of taking any measures that upset his rivals. As a good administrator, he communicates with people, mainly the youth, through his actions. The rapper-turned-mayor is not affiliated with any political parties and loves to work independently, though abiding by the laws of the land.

Dangol, deputy mayor, is a young, bright, educated, and mid-level leader of the CPN-UML. Her vision to facelift Kathmandu Valley is not different from Balen and she had extended her support in executing the plans and programmes aimed at social welfare. She has refrained from making any anti-Balen statements. However, her recent remarks saying Balen’s actions are just a publicity stunt and not genuine efforts to uplift Kathmandu Valley have raised the eyebrows of everyone.

Until recently, the mayor and deputy mayor’s professional relationship was navigated very smoothly. They supported and cooperated with each other in the true spirit of service. However, their relations turned sour over the suspension of Chief Administrative Officer Saroj Chapagain on charges of financial irregularities. On December 23, 2024, Mayor Balendra Shah suspended the Chief Administrative Officer citing financial irregularities in the approval of the Kathmandu Tower construction blueprint at the old Bus Park, Ratnapark. Since then, he has been barred from entering the office. But last week, the people witnessed a dramatic scene at the Kathmandu Metropolitan Office as tension erupted over the return of suspended Chief Administrative Officer Saroj Guragain.

Just to recall, Balen and Oli have been at loggerheads ever since Balen took over the charge of the mayor and started to work on his agenda. His notable actions included the demolition of illegal construction of voters and benefactors of UML. PM Oli, on numerous occasions, attempted to tell the people that Balen lacks political capital and experience. As a result, his agendas are just rhetoric. At Oli’s behest, the UML even waged a campaign publicly to undermine Balen. Oli, a calculative political veteran of over five decades, was not leaving any stone unturned to prove that Balen was a failure.

On the contrary, Balen's popularity was reaching a new height. PM Oli was desperately seeking an opportunity to depopularise him. Amidst this, the Kathmandu Tower building scandal becomes public, offering Oli an opportunity to play the deputy mayor card against the mayor.

But why is Oli taking the side of the Chief Administrative Officer? What led him to defend the Chief Administrative Officer? It is an issue of big concern. But this is seldom discussed and accounted for.

The Chief Administrative Officer, Saroj Guragain, was appointed by the Oli-led government. He has been accused of procedural and financial irregularities in approving the revised plan to increase the height of the tower from the previously agreed 12 stories to 19 stories. While the deputy mayor argues that it is unjust to suspend Guragain based on unproven corruption charges, videos and testimonials are emerging on social media in which the chief discusses an offer of Rs 50 million to approve the revised design.

What is very interesting is that the post is lying vacant despite Balen’s request to send a competent and qualified replacement for Guragain. This has impacted the day-to-day activities of KMC. The CAO's authority to approve the payroll prevented the timely payment of the employee's wages.

What is not understandable is the fact that led the deputy mayor to criticise the mayor publicly. One explanation could be that she must have experienced political pressure forcing her to spit venom on him. Many political pundits say that the deputy mayor, instead of criticising the mayor, should have used her influence to persuade the government to send a competent and qualified replacement for Gurgain.

Immediately after her scathing remarks over the mayor, the netizen took to social media, making her the subject of ridicule. The social media users were lashing out at her satirically. Some even question how Balen’s action is just a publicity stunt. They sought a convincing explanation.

It is common practice across the globe to suspend the accused until the investigation is completed and reports are made public. However, this is not the case here. The accused, backed by the political boss, is breaching the practice. If the mayor has evidence providing details of irregularities in approving the tower’s design, it is very important to look at that evidence and reach a logical conclusion.

As things stand now, it is clearly understood that Balen's action has changed Kathmandu from several perspectives. The chaotic, unregulated and unorganised Kathmandu looks much better with reliable services. After years of disappointing Congress and UML’s mayoral performance, the denizens of Kathmandu Valley were endowed with a mayor who seemed committed and focused. But it remains to be seen whether he will be able to continue his good deeds as the federal government holds a negative perception of him. Let’s not allow our politicians to create a mess in the KMC and allow the mayor to work for the socio-economic and cultural welfare of the Kathmandu Valley.