At its heart, the anger on Nepal’s streets is fueled by simple but powerful economics: the stark contrast between a national per capita income of $1,400 and the Porsches and luxury lifestyles of the political elite. The social media ban became the flashpoint because it tried to conceal the evidence of this galling economic disparity.
The viral TikTok videos were so potent because they made this abstract economic inequality tangible and personal. Seeing the children of politicians flaunting wealth that would take an average Nepali centuries to earn was a visceral confirmation of a system rigged in favor of the few. It was a digital rubbing of salt in the wound of economic hardship.
This anger is particularly acute for the 20% of young people who are unemployed. They are left to wonder why they cannot find a job while the well-connected live lives of unimaginable opulence, presumably funded by the very state that has failed to create opportunities for them. It fosters a powerful sense of being cheated by the system.
The government’s decision to ban the platforms showcasing this disparity was seen as a vulgar attempt to hide the truth rather than address the underlying problem. It was an admission of guilt. The resulting protests are therefore not just about political rights; they are an economic rebellion against a system that has created a tiny, super-wealthy elite while leaving the majority behind.