New Delhi

Former ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri has debunked the theory of a foreign hand behind Nepal’s developments of two days in which the small Himalayan country was thrown into anarchy with the collapse of the regime and mobs taking over government buildings and streets.

Speaking with the news agency ANI, Puri said the anger among the young –Gen Z – about corruption in the country’s regime was genuine.

He said, “.. Nepal's remittances to GDP ratio is among the five highest in the world. Nepalese have become much more globalised... Money has also come into the economy... This is something very interesting that has happened in this country, which, under the monarchy, had literally no exposure to globalisation...”

#WATCH | On protest in Nepal, Former Ambassador of India to Nepal, Manjeev Singh Puri, says, "... Nepal's remittances to GDP ratio is among the five highest in the world. Nepalese have become much more globalised... Money has also come into the economy... This is something very… pic.twitter.com/D5xc0gB021

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2025

“However, the frustration had been growing due to the continuation of the same political establishment.

It may be recalled that in the last elections held in October 2022 in Nepal, no political party managed a majority – the largest number of seats were won by Sher Bahadur Deuba-led Nepali Congress (89), followed by the PM KP Sharma Oli’s CPN(UML) (78), while Pushpa Kamal Dhal alias Prachanda led the Maoist Center (32).

 All three formed a coalition government, leaving no space for a formidable opposition and a political vacuum.

However, Puri said, the developments in Nepal were unlikely to affect India as “This is a country with which we have civilisational links and I don't see those being disrupted".

Explaining the situation, Puri said the fall in remittances during the COVID made Nepalese view their economy seriously. “.. Relying on remittances was not an easy task..”

He said the need of the hour was political sagacity on the part of leadership. They need to understand the mood of the people...

“I'm really referring to the Paharis in Nepal because they are reacting negatively. It's important for the political class to address that, assuage them, be accountable, and be mature in doing what they have to do."

Puri was India's Ambassador to Nepal from March 2017 to January 2020.

On Nepal protests being called Gen-Z protests, and speculations of a foreign hand being behind these protests, Former Ambassador of India to Nepal, Manjeev Singh Puri, says, ".... Who exactly would benefit as a result of these protests? Isn't relative stability, because political instability was almost built into the country's political, democratic, and electoral system, something that would have benefited others...

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