Sudan Gurung's group demands PM Karki's resignation over cabinet picks

A group led by Sudan Gurung protested in Baluwatar, Kathmandu, opposing Om Prakash Aryal's appointment as Home Minister and accusing PM Sushila Karki of ignoring their concerns

A faction of the Gen Z group led by Sudan Gurung in Nepal has demanded the resignation of interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki. Expressing dissatisfaction over ministerial appointments, the group staged a protest at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar on Sunday night, reported Nepal’s digital magazine Setopati. Protestors chanted slogans, calling on Karki to step down.

 

Unhappy over Aryal’s appointment 

According to the demonstrators in Baluwatar, Kathmandu, the cabinet expansion was carried out without consulting them. Gurung’s group objected particularly to Om Prakash Aryal’s appointment as Home Minister. Gurung warned that if their concerns were ignored, they would “throw everyone out.”

 

He claimed the Gen Z movement was responsible for bringing the current government to power and insisted no one could stop them. “If we come back to the streets, no one can stop us. We will rip them out from where we put them,” Gurung said. Referring to Aryal, he said, “Om Prakash Aryal, the lawyer, he’s making himself Home Minister from inside!” reported Setopati.

 

PM Karki inducts three new ministers 

On Sunday, the very day she assumed office, PM Karki appointed advocate and rights activist Om Prakash Aryal as Minister for Home Affairs as well as Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. The other two ministers inducted were Rameshwor Khanal, who will head the Finance Ministry, and Kulman Ghising, former managing director of the Nepal Electricity Authority, who will lead the Energy Ministry.

 

The newly appointed ministers are scheduled to take the oath of office and secrecy at the President’s Office at Sheetal Niwas in the Maharajgunj area of Kathmandu today, reported PTI.

 

Background to Gen Z’s agitation 

The agitation led by the ‘Gen Z’ group erupted on September 8 over a government ban on social media and quickly grew into a broader campaign against corruption and what protestors described as the political class’s apathy. A day later, on September 9, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli resigned after hundreds of agitators stormed his office, demanding accountability for the deaths of at least 19 people in police action during the unrest.

 

Amid the turmoil, former chief justice Sushila Karki was appointed Prime Minister on September 12 at the recommendation of the agitating Gen Z group. She now heads a caretaker government mandated to conduct fresh elections on March 5, 2026, ending days of political uncertainty triggered by Oli’s resignation.