Balen Shah

Attachments

2023 Balen Shah’s Map of Greater Nepal
2023 Comment inciting violence against Singha Durbar
2023 In September 2023, Shah publicly threatened to burn down Singha Durbar, the administrative center of the federal government, on Facebook. His post came after his wife, Sabina Kafle, was stopped for a routine security check by traffic police while travelling in a vehicle with government plates.[61] Shah wrote, "Nothing happened today., but if any KMC vehicles are stopped tomorrow onwards, I will set the Singha Durbar on fire." The Facebook post was heavily criticized by civil society and political parties across the board for being insensitive and with the potential to incite violence against the federal government. After the controversy, Shah's personal advisor, Bhupdev Shah, released a press statement saying that Kafle was unnecessarily harassed while travelling to a hospital after suffering labor pains.[62] However, it later emerged that Kafle had already given birth a week prior and that the press statement was categorically false.[63]
2025 In September 2025, after Gen Z protesters set fire to Singha Durbar, many social and political commentators recalled Shah's two-year-old threat, drawing links between the two events.[64]
2026 NYT - Gen Z-Backed Rapper Is on Course to Lead Nepal With Landslide Win A youth-led uprising brought Nepal’s government down last year. Now, a 35-year-old politician demanding change is set to become prime minister.