Four and a half months on, Shah government faces questions over governance

Four and a half months after Prime Minister Balendra Shah assumed office, his government is facing mounting criticism over its governance style. Opponents, constitutional experts, and political analysts accuse the administration of sidelining democratic institutions while pursuing rapid reforms, leading to questions about transparency, accountability, and adherence to constitutional procedures.

Since taking office on March 27, the government has presented itself as determined to overhaul Nepal’s governance system through swift structural changes. However, many of its major decisions have sparked controversy. Critics point to the government's increasing reliance on social media for communicating policy decisions, often creating confusion over official processes. Prime Minister Shah's Facebook posts frequently feature policy announcements and political commentary, leading opponents to accuse him of governing through social media rather than established state institutions.

One early controversy involved Shah walking out of Parliament on May 11 while President Ramchandra Paudel was delivering the government’s annual policies and programmes. This action was widely criticized as a breach of parliamentary decorum and state protocol. Another dispute arose from the government's decision to introduce a three percent tax on private education and healthcare services through the national budget, which drew widespread public criticism for potentially making essential services more expensive.

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An executive should move forward by taking political parties, institutions and society into confidence.

Amid growing pressure, the government withdrew the tax. However, the decision generated fresh criticism when Shah announced on Facebook that the "Education and Health Equity Tax" would be scrapped a day before the Cabinet formally approved the reversal. This raised concerns that major executive decisions were being announced before completing official procedures. Arjun Dhooj Aryal, an assistant professor at Tribhuvan University, argued that governments must build consensus instead of relying on unilateral decisions, warning that governance through executive announcements risks undermining institutional checks and balances.

The government's handling of communal violence in Madhesh has also become a major subject of criticism. The unrest began on July 26 after a dispute between two local communities escalated into violence, resulting in police opening fire and killing Om Prakash Mehta. His death triggered protests that disrupted normal life for nearly a week across several districts.

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Education and Health Equity Tax