By Our Reporter

Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah, the man who helped shape the current government, has turned into one of its harshest critics. In two meetings with Prime Minister Sushila Karki over the past week, Balen pressed for immediate action on what he called “urgent national concerns,” openly expressing frustration with the Home Minister and the government’s sluggish pace.

In his latest solo visit to Baluwatar, Balen laid out four blunt demands before the Prime Minister: arrest former PM KP Sharma Oli and ex-Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak for ordering the crackdown on Gen-Z protesters, detain activist Durga Prasai for “inciting unrest,” remove Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, and address delays in ministerial appointments and performance.

“Law and justice must move together,” Karki reportedly told him, acknowledging the grievances but insisting that her government would act within legal limits. She pointed to the Gauribahadur Karki Commission, already tasked with probing figures like Oli and Lekhak.

Balen wasn’t convinced. He warned that the government’s failure to enforce the “mandate of rebellion” could ignite another round of protests. “New rallies are being planned while the government looks unprepared,” he cautioned, accusing the administration of turning a blind eye to Durga Prasai’s inflammatory statements.

According to ministers present in earlier meetings, Balen also questioned why leaders who rose to power on the back of the Gen-Z movement were now exposing their own government’s weaknesses. He said ministers appeared “complacent,” treating their roles as routine jobs rather than reform mandates.

The Mayor’s fury was particularly aimed at Home Minister Aryal. Once his own legal adviser, Aryal has become a disappointment, Balen argued, accusing him of hiding behind legal technicalities to avoid accountability. “When youth were dying in the streets, which law protected them?” he reportedly asked.

Ironically, Aryal has maintained that he never sought a ministerial position, saying he only wanted to serve as an adviser to the Prime Minister. He has also expressed irritation at being portrayed as Balen’s pick, revealing that Karki herself had brought him into the Cabinet.

As tensions rise between two key figures who once appeared allied, insiders say Balen’s growing assertiveness could test the stability of the fragile coalition—and force Prime Minister Karki to decide whether to placate or confront one of her strongest political backers.