Activists vs. Mayor Balen: What’s Really Happening in Front of the NA House?

Balen Shah, the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, stated that the protesting activists did not come for dialogue when summoned.

In a Facebook post on Monday, he alleged that the demonstrators in front of the National Assembly did not respond to the invitation for dialogue. He also suggested that these activists may have ulterior political motives. He questioned, “Should we engage in a dialogue with their leader?”

However, activist Iih quickly clarified that it wasn’t Mayor Balen Shah but rather a metro policeman who approached them.

In response to Mayor Balen’s statement, Iih remarked, “The Mayor did not come here. Other friends who are also advocating for accountability can attest to this. Approximately 20 minutes ago, a metro policeman unexpectedly called us to the National Assembly hall parking area, reprimanding us. We requested 30 minutes to contact legal experts, urban management specialists, and street business representatives. The city police responded angrily, saying that if the mayor wouldn’t meet us.”

A group of activists, led by Ishan, commonly known as Iih, initiated a movement demanding better management of street vendors in the city. Iih has been standing in front of the National Assembly for over 127 hours.

Iih emphasized the importance of this protest, highlighting Mayor Balen’s failure to deliver on promises of alternative arrangements for street vendors, which were made during the election campaign.

The protesters prominently displayed placards with messages such as ‘A city for cars or a city for people? Justice for Street Vendors’ and ‘End the exploitation of cycle, cart, traditional, and street vendors; provide viable alternatives.’

In a recent social media post, made five hours ago, he wrote, “123 hours weren’t enough. No response from KMC. The hopes of vendors rest on our shoulders. I’ll give my best shot and stand here as a ‘?’ for another 76 hours.”