Tension Escalates as CPN-UML Chair Accuses Kathmandu Leadership of Information Warfare
CPN-UML Chair and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has launched a scathing critique against the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) leadership, specifically targeting Mayor Balendra Shah. During a launch event for the party’s upgraded website and mobile application in Chyasal, Oli alleged that the current city administration is orchestrating a calculated campaign to spread misinformation aimed at destabilizing mainstream political parties. According to the UML leader, these efforts are not mere political disagreements but represent a systematic attempt to undermine the public image of established organizations.
Oli likened the alleged smear campaigns to the propaganda tactics employed by Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Minister of Propaganda, claiming that a “more extreme” version of such psychological maneuvering is currently targeting his party. He argued that the spread of fabricated narratives in society has reached a critical threshold, with the CPN-UML suffering the most significant reputational damage. Oli cautioned his party members, urging them to remain vigilant against what he characterized as a concerted “information attack” designed to erode public trust in the UML’s long-term political project.
Addressing the party’s digital posture, the former Prime Minister admitted that the CPN-UML had previously lagged behind in countering this digital-age hostility. He expressed dissatisfaction with the party’s past inability to effectively manage its narrative, noting the necessity of a more agile, technology-driven approach. By launching updated online platforms, Oli aims to consolidate the party’s presence, ensuring that its achievements—specifically the development projects initiated under his tenure—are communicated directly to the public without being filtered or distorted by external actors.
Despite describing these mounting challenges, Oli remained defiant regarding the party’s integrity. He asserted that the UML has not been weakened by the current atmosphere of scrutiny and remains a self-reliant force. Rebuffing claims that the party is in decline, he used the metaphor of independent growth, stating that the UML is “not a vine that rises with someone else’s support.” He framed the party as a resilient entity capable of surviving political isolation and emerging stronger through internal restructuring and careful renewal of its base.
The critique highlights the widening rift between the traditional political establishment and the younger, social-media-savvy trend of independent governance currently influencing municipal politics in Kathmandu. Oli suggested that attempts to isolate his party would likely persist as political rivalries intensify, yet he insisted that the CPN-UML would not be discouraged by such setbacks. He urged party cadres to reclaim the digital space, calling for the widespread sharing of tangible evidence regarding the government’s past development projects as a primary defense against misinformation.
Moving toward a new strategic direction, the UML leadership has signaled that IT competency will be a central pillar of its survival strategy. By centralizing its communication through modernized digital channels, the party intends to bypass traditional media narratives and address the public directly. As the political environment in Nepal continues to shift, Oli’s rhetoric underscores a broader anxiety among established parties regarding their loss of control over the public discourse, setting the stage for a period of heightened digital confrontation in national politics.