Why Nepalis are writing #StopDemocidePMOli on social media

Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is trending in the country -- this time for his response towards the coronavirus pandemic and his misplaced priorities.

Nepali social media users are using the word ‘democide’, coined by the American political scientist RJ Rummel, to vent their anger against the Oli administration's poor response to the pandemic. 

It's a combination of demos -- the root word for democracy, and genocide -- the deliberate killing of large groups of people. 

Nepal's citizens say this word -- 'democide' perfectly describes the state of affairs in their country. They are censuring Oli for peddling dubious remedies, such as turmeric as a cure for the coronavirus.

They are mocking him for comparing COVID-19 with the common flu. Some others are blaming him for imposing ill-thoughtout restrictions that have left many people struggling for a daily meal.

And some are questioning the state of Nepal's economy -- where thousands are at risk of losing their jobs due to the lockdown.

But by that standard, many world leaders deserve the same trolling. But Oli's case is special.

Questions are also being raised on his expenditure on food and entertainment. 

Opposition parties in Nepal are claiming that in the last three years, the Oli government spent some $170 million on just tea and snacks.

This amount is 800 per cent more than the actual allocated budget for the government spending on such things.

But despite this, Nepal doesn't appear bothered. Oli has bigger fish to fry -- like the recruitment of Gorkha soldiers in the Indian forces.

Gorkha troops have been praised for their courage at the dizzy heights of the Siachen glacier.

And the Chinese are trying to pursuade Nepal to put an end to this 200-year-old tradition. They do not want Gorkhas serving in the Indian army -- especially now when the PLA is engaged in a border stand-off with India in Ladakh.

So China has pulled another dirty trick.

According to reports, the Chinese embassy has funded an NGO based in Kathmandu to conduct a study on the motivation behind the Gorkha community joining the Indian army.

The intention is clear -- brainwash the Gorkha community and stop them from joining the Indian army.

The Nepal government too has on several occassions called this practice a legacy of the past. Reports say Kathmandu has been trying to renegotiate this recruitment pact since July this year. 

The verbal diatribes may have ended, but the Himalayan chill in India-Nepal ties clearly hasn't.