By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel Politics usually hogs the media limelight and grabs the attention of people from all walks of life. This month has also been no different. The two issues--the report of the special committee to investigate the cooperative fraud and growing animosity between our incumbent prime minister and the mayor of Kathmandu metropolitan--dominated the national and local dailies and weeklies. Let's leave it to the expert par excellence to share their thoughts and insights about the report of the special committee, I will try to shed some light on the ever-widening hostility between our PM Oli and Mayor Balen. Balendra Shah aka Balen, is a popular face among the Kathmandu youths. A rapper cum structural engineer became the darling of the masses and won the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolis City after he committed to facelifting the Kathmandu valley making it a place to reckon with. On the other hand, Kharga Prasad Oli, 72, is a political veteran, four-time prime minister and chairperson of UML. Oli rose to prominence after he refused to obey the diktat of our southern neighbor and stood by the people when the latter imposed an economic embargo in 2015. Why is Oli mobilizing his full strength against the mayor of Kathmandu metropolitan and why is Balen, a lone man with no political experience, is challenging Oli, is an issue of big concern. Oli-Balen fight began when the metropolitan city started to demolish the illegal infrastructures mainly the buildings built on municipal land. It also destroyed the business advertisements hoarding that did not comply with municipal regulations. Further, it also orders occupants of the illegal buildings to vacate them and leave the premises. However, in many cases, the occupants refused to obey the order which often led to a scuffle between the metropolitan police and the occupants. While he was demolishing illegal infrastructure, the building of a person who was connected with UML was also destroyed. The report says that this is where seed of the hatred was sowed annoying the UML. A central committee member of the UML, Mahesh Basnet, called upon his cadres to intimidate Balen if he did not mend his ways. Balen responded with a bang which further fueled the hostility between him and the PM. Balen opened the basement for parking which was outrightly rejected by Oli arguing that reconstruction work was still incomplete and it was not wise to open the area for parking which, according to Oli, was unsafe. In response, Balen said that the Dharara was inaugurated as a complete project by the PM himself so how can it be incomplete? Dharara parking issue aside, the Balen-Oli conflict was further aggravated when Balen decided to evacuate some valley so-called squatters. According to media reports, some squatters are believed to occupy multistory buildings constructed on public land worth millions of rupees. The supporters of Balen argue that the squatters are not real but are the vote banks of UML. The recent New Road footpath widening imbroglio also played a significant role in adding fuel to the fire. The metropolitan decided to widen the footpath of the New Road to comply with the standards set by the Nepal Department of Roads. This also invited uproar as the local ward chair, UML member, objected and complained to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport. While everyone thought that Oli-Balen conflict had subsided, a few Balen’s supporters in just concluded Indra Jatra were detained by the local police in Basantapur. The reason was they were donning T-shirts with Balen’s image. It is not understandable what led local police to detain the supporters of Balen while they were celebrating the Indra Jatra festival. One explanation is that the government is very feeble and fears the growing popularity of Mayor Balendra Shah. The other explanation is that the government wants to demonstrate that it has the sole authority to take action against anyone without any reason or cause. In any functioning democracy, the people have the right to support anyone--be it leftist or centrist. They can peacefully canvas for their leaders--no matter which party it belongs. This is the essence of democracy and it makes democracy stronger. Sadly this was not the case here. Anyone who dares to challenge the status quo is viewed as an anti-democratic group. PM Oli is a towering personality in Nepalese politics. He was admired by the people when he refused to bow down to the Indian embargo while we were struggling to respond to the earthquake victims of 2015. People appreciated Oli when he said that he would not betray his countrymen and would stand by them and walk hand in hand with them. This made him the national hero which is why people gave him the mandate to become the prime minister. With such aura and charisma, Oli does not need to fear anyone including Balen from the election perspective. People will judge him based on his work and performance during his term and not based on challenging the Balen who is just a toddler in terms of politics. Balen rose to prominence because he delivered on his promise. If Oli wants to silence his critics mainly Balen, he also has to work for the betterment of the people--socially, culturally, politically and economically. If he can guarantee this, no force can stop Oli not even Balen. But the question is will he be able to deliver on his promise and silence Balen and his supporters?