Balen Shah's personality and his 'Nepal First' agenda

Prime Minister Balen Shah of Nepal won the general election in March and declared, "It is time to end the betrayal of the people by political parties." He is speeding up "Pro-Nepal (Nepal First)" reforms. For example, he announced bold plans to stop corruption and build an independent economy. He also arrested former Prime Minister Oli for suppressing protests during the previous government.

The personality and background of Balen Shah

• He is a former rapper and a structural engineer. When he was a rapper, he became popular for his political songs on the internet that criticized corruption and social problems. He has two sides: he is a structural engineer who thinks logically and efficiently, and he is a practical person who does not just complain but challenges society as a rapper.
• In 2022, he became the Mayor of Kathmandu. After he was elected, he worked hard to improve the city environment and gained support. He sometimes used strong methods, so people have different opinions about him. However, some believe his power is necessary to change Nepal’s slow politics. At the end of 2025, when anti-government protests happened, he met Rabi Lamichhane, the leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), at a political meeting to fight against the oligarchy. They agreed with each other's ideas, so he quit as mayor and joined the RSP early in the new year.
• He became the Prime Minister of Nepal in 2026. He took office as a senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which was founded by the brave journalist Rabi Lamichhane. He is moving very fast with reforms and has started a large investigation to remove corruption from the old system. He is also strict with his own team. For example, he immediately fired the new Labor Minister, Dipak Kumar Sah, because the minister gave his wife a job through personal connections.
• Update: On April 22, Interior Minister Sudan Gurung, who was popular in the Balen Shah government, was also forced to resign. This happened because a problem was found regarding the transparency of money, and the government pressured him to take responsibility.

During the election, Balen Shah announced "Nagarik Karar (Contract with the People)." He declared that if his team fails to keep their promises like old political parties, the people should remove him from office immediately. This means he promised to step down if he does not follow through. He also created an online system so that people can monitor the progress of his plans. By doing this, he is showing his honesty through action. This approach helps the people of Nepal realize that citizens are the main characters of the country. When people watch the government, it prevents the country from being controlled by only a few powerful families (Oligarchy).

Furthermore, as the leader of Nepal, he decided to officially apologize for the unfair treatment of Dalits that has continued for centuries. He is trying to unite the hearts of the Nepalese people. His team includes talented people like Swarnim Wagle (former Senior Economist at the World Bank), Shishir Khanal (expert in government reform), and Kumar Pant (former President of NRNA).

The common points of his policies are: making transparency a rule, setting deadlines, and strictly punishing anyone who fails, regardless of who they are. We must respect his strict attitude, as he applies these penalties even to himself.

The background of Balen Shah that caused debate

In Nepal, Balen’s background became a big topic. Many newspapers pointed out that his last name "Shah" was originally "Sah," which belongs to the Teli caste from the Madhesi (plains) area, not the Thakuri caste from the Pahadi (hills) area. In fact, all his family members are registered with the name "Sah," and only he changed his name. Also, Balen Shah speaks Maithili, a language used in the Terai plains. People talked about how he called himself a "son of Madhesh" during a speech in that area. However, he clearly stated that although he is a son of Madhesi, he works as a leader for all of Nepal, not just for one caste or region. The people welcomed this clear message. He is supported by people from both the hills and the plains. Since he started with speed and big impact, many people are interested to see his future work.

The main points of his "Pro-Nepal" policy

Foreign Policy: Protecting Nepal's Sovereignty

He is showing his plan to protect Nepal’s sovereignty by changing the diplomatic relationship where Nepal was too close to either China or India. For example, since natural gas was found with China's help, he is looking for a way to stop depending 100% on gas from India. On the other hand, he canceled the China-Nepal Friendship Industrial Park (a project funded by the Belt and Road Initiative) near the Indian border in eastern Nepal. This is a policy to protect sovereignty by keeping a balance so that India and China cannot put too much pressure on Nepal.

Also, to reduce economic dependence on foreign countries, he is focusing on Nepal's natural resources found through joint research with China. His strategy is to use hydropower and natural gas for diplomacy. At the same time, he says he will investigate past agreements with other countries that were unfair or not transparent, calling them a "betrayal of the nation."

Internal Affairs: Sowing the seeds of an independent economy

He is showing a plan to build an independent economy that does not depend too much on specific countries or special interests. To do this, he announced a reform plan with 100 items. The main ideas are managing each field through digitalization, reforming agriculture, and making the monitoring of logistics stronger.

To promote national independence, his reform plans include protecting agriculture through new laws and investments. At the same time, he is changing taxes on imported goods so that products made in Nepal can win in price competition. He is also reforming laws so that new startup companies can work quickly. By moving government paperwork and taxes online, he wants to prevent the bribes, delays, and tax evasion that used to happen at government offices.

Furthermore, while working abroad is still a big source of income for Nepal, he aims to create good jobs at home so that young people have the choice to stay. He is creating an environment where people who went abroad can easily bring their business ideas back to Nepal. He is also looking at the IT industry to increase jobs, as online businesses can reach the whole world. By cutting out long procedures and bribes that slowed down the economy, it will be easier for everyone to do business, and their motivation will increase.

Agenda: "100 Items for Political and Economic Reform"

After becoming Prime Minister, Balen Shah announced a reform plan with 100 items about politics and the economy. Below, we introduce the reforms that are attracting the most attention. For some items, we also explain the current situation and the problems.

Establishment of an Asset Investigation Committee for Politicians and High-Ranking Government Officials

This is one of his most important policies. Although the previous government was removed by protests last year, the politicians were not punished. However, the Balen Shah cabinet has finally started to criticize corruption by politicians and officials as a "betrayal of the people," and they are trying to punish them through a strict investigation. To stop corruption, he is setting up a committee to investigate all assets gained by politicians and officials since 1991 to see if they are illegal. This news is making many people very happy.

Of course, this is not just a political show. Balen Shah is trying to break the long history of corruption in Nepal. He wants to stop the cozy relationships between politicians and businesses, make accountability clear, and build a responsible political system.

There are many examples of corruption. Recently, in the "Bhutanese refugees scam," former ministers and high officials were arrested for making fake refugee documents. In the "Giri Bandhu Tea Estate Scam," they tried to change laws to sell land unfairly. In the "Patanjali Land Scam," they even used illegal government decisions to sell land for profit. Every year, many corruption cases happen.

The pattern of "political donations → granting concessions (such as monopolies on public bids) → inflating costs → skimming profits" has hindered fair competition. By thoroughly investigating past cases and holding corrupt politicians and officials accountable, the goal is to signal that the time has come for ethical conduct. To ensure future corruption prevention, there are plans to digitize and monitor public bidding processes. This approach emphasizes the necessity for leaders to adhere to fundamental principles. The investigation into figures like K.P. Oli represents a departure from the tradition of granting immunity to the wealthy and political elite.

By the way, there are already cases where the government has taken back land that was obtained illegally through corruption. Also, for people who had lease contracts at very low prices through corruption, the government is now forcing them to sign new contracts at fair market prices.

Conflict with syndicates is unavoidable.

During the investigation into the deep-seated collusion within politics, the chairman of the Shankar Group, one of the major conglomerates, was arrested. Such a relentless and firm stance makes a confrontation with the business federations seem inevitable. In the Terai plains, where many Madhesi people reside, there are massive conglomerates that dominate supply chains crossing the border; there are concerns that these groups may feel threatened, leading to capital flight, or that they may apply pressure and engage in sabotage in the future. One must admire the integrity of his character; despite being Madhesi himself, he shows no leniency toward other Madhesi people.

Keeping other parties in check

The three big political parties that held power in Nepal for a long time have become weaker. However, some people are starting to think that the old monarchy was better. We must be careful because the three big parties might try to get power back. In this situation, if the investigations show the crimes of other parties, it will be a strong reason for people to stop supporting them. Also, by creating a fair environment through corruption investigations, the government can change how people choose a party. Instead of focusing on political ideas (ideology), people will focus on practical work.

Digitalization

Digitalization is a reform plan to build a digital system for monitoring. Its goal is to increase tax income by managing and showing the flow of money in one place to prevent crimes. It also aims to make sure citizens can receive fair government services on time. If people or businesses do not use this digital system, they will face penalties, such as an order to stop their business or losing their license. Below are some specific examples.

Prevention of tax evasion

By making electronic receipts a rule, information is recorded in real time at the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) as soon as something is bought at a shop. This makes it physically impossible to cheat on records, which was a common way to avoid paying taxes.

Prevention of bribes

By allowing people to apply for government procedures online, it becomes physically impossible for officials to ask for bribes at the counter.

Prevention of delays

By changing to online processing, citizens can receive services without problems, even if officials are lazy or there are many applications at the same time.

Logistics management

The government decided to strengthen the existing "VCTS (Vehicle and Consignment Tracking System)." It is now a rule to put GPS on cargo from the customs office until it arrives at the market. This allows the government to monitor the goods online and prevent them from being moved or sold illegally through secret deals with officials. By making the documents digital, it is also physically impossible to fake the lists of goods.

Protecting farmers and ensuring food self-sufficiency

Prime Minister Balen states that farmers are poor not because they do not work hard, but because middlemen take their money unfairly. Therefore, the government is trying to structurally protect the entire process, from when farmers plant their crops to when the products reach the market.

Problems until now

In Nepal, some farmers live in constant poverty. One reason for this is the existence of middlemen called "Bicholiya." According to a government report, poor farmers do not have enough money to buy seeds, fertilizer, or pesticides. Therefore, middlemen lend them money with extremely high interest rates. In return, the farmers must agree to sell their crops to the middlemen at whatever price the middlemen choose.

Because of this, even if market prices go up, farmers must sell their crops at the lowest price set by the middlemen. Also, if these middlemen work together, they can control market prices. They buy at the lowest price from farmers and sell at a high price in the market to make huge profits. Another problem is that only wealthy middlemen own cold storage to keep vegetables and trucks to transport them. This allows them to control the amount of food in the market. Furthermore, some middlemen take the crops first but delay the payment, which makes the farmers even poorer.

When Balen Shah was Mayor, a market survey showed that the price in the market was sometimes five times higher than the price the farmers received. It is said that some middlemen are secret billionaires because they do not pay taxes on the money they make from illegal high-interest loans.

Solution

To break the cartel system where middlemen exploit farmers, Balen Shah focused on the fact that market prices are often decided after middlemen buy crops cheaply. He made a rule that the government must decide the buying price before planting or at least 30 days before harvest. This prevents middlemen from buying crops for very low prices and selling them in the market for much higher prices.

Also, middlemen must now pay the farmers within 25 days after receiving the crops. If they are late, they will face penalties like losing their license or having their assets frozen. Furthermore, the government plans to build public cold storage for vegetables. This will allow crops to be saved for a long time and sent to the market based on supply and demand.

Additionally, the government is increasing fertilizer production and using a digital system to track its distribution to stop middlemen from stealing it. By sending subsidies for fertilizer directly to farmers, the government may be able to remove middlemen completely in the future.

In addition, to support farming, there are interest-free loans and financing for new farmers and poor farmers. There is also an initiative called "Agro Pooling." In this system, Kathmandu and local governments work together to transport and sell crops to Kathmandu without using middlemen.

Current Situation

Naturally, the middlemen fought back and started a strike to stop the flow of goods. However, Balen Shah showed that he would use military and police vehicles to carry crops to the market. Furthermore, he notified the middlemen leading the strike that he would take away their licenses, freeze their assets, and take back the market stalls they were using. He is ready to end the business routes of dishonest middlemen. His plan has three steps: freeing poor farmers, stopping illegal high-interest loans, and taking away licenses from bad businesses.

Reforming the structure of the provincial system

He plans to review the provincial system, which many citizens believe is wasteful and expensive due to too many provinces and politicians. His plan includes digitizing and monitoring provincial budgets and reducing the number of provincial ministers and offices by more than half. He is also considering reducing the power of provincial parliaments so that local governments can quickly decide on developments that meet residents' needs without asking the province for permission.Because this would link the central government and residents directly without the province in the middle, powerful people in provincial governments are fighting back. They are refusing to cooperate with digitalization and are criticizing Balen Shah, calling him a dictator who ignores local areas and wants to centralize all power.

Infrastructure Development

In Nepal, for example, there are many problems with road construction. Even when a project is decided, contractors often do not start the work for a long time or work very slowly without a deadline. Also, it is common for other companies to destroy a newly finished road immediately to put pipes underground. Because of this, it has been very difficult for people and goods to move in Nepal. To stop this situation, Balen Shah has decided on the following policies:

• When building roads, utility tunnels for electricity, water, and gas must be installed to prevent digging up the ground again.
• The start and end dates for projects must be clear to make infrastructure development fast and reliable.
• By using digital bidding, contractors will be chosen fairly, which will weaken business syndicates.

Furthermore, to bring engineers back to the country, They will offer good salaries and hire them preferentially. They also aim to make young people feel proud and responsible for building the nation.

Order the immediate closure of all online casinos

• It was discovered that a huge amount of money is flowing from Nepal to foreign countries through online casinos; we will stop this loss of national wealth.
• remove these sites to prevent crime, as they have become centers for fraud and money laundering.
• To prevent more young people from becoming addicted to gambling.

Investigate companies that charge migrant workers unfair and extremely high fees

The government is expected to change its policy regarding migrant workers. To investigate agencies that charge workers unfairly high fees for documents and travel, workers will be required to submit accurate evidence of their costs. Without this evidence, they will not be allowed to leave the country. The goal is to prevent a situation where workers lose all their money before traveling. This policy aims to protect them from being exploited under unfair working conditions abroad due to their financial weakness.

Conclusion

The information above is an outline of Balen Shah's personality and his 'Nepal First' agenda. Since his cabinet was just formed, I introduced his policies in a positive and straightforward way.

The plans are great, but how much can be achieved? Of course, there will be resistance and sabotage. If the political parties fight each other and the citizens decide that all parties are useless, the royalists might be preparing to bring back the monarchy.

India and China, who have invested in Nepal, may also change their actions depending on the situation. Economically, more than 50% of the national budget is debt from foreign countries.

Since the citizens have high expectations, their disappointment will be huge if the reforms do not produce the expected results. This is common human nature. In that case, Balen Shah could quickly lose support, and the situation could become dangerous with revenge from his political enemies."

On the other hand, looking at how he is challenging the oligarchy with strong actions, it is clear that he is very determined. I believe this fearless ability to act and his strong beliefs come from his youth. It takes huge energy to break down old politics that do not fit the times and to create something new.

It is refreshing to see Nepal doing things so boldly that even developed countries cannot do. The current political situation in Nepal is very interesting; it is full of patriotism and dreams, and I find it exciting to watch.