South Asia Grapples With Surging Public Protests Against Corrupt Politicians

South Asia Grapples With Surging Public Protests Against Corrupt Politicians

RMN News Analysis Highlights:

• 🔥 Nepal’s Gen Z Protests Escalate: Demonstrators have resorted to arson and vandalism, targeting presidential and former prime ministers’ homes, placing immense pressure on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s government.
• 🗳️ India’s Electoral Integrity Questioned: A new “Smokescreen” report alleges the Modi-led BJP’s electoral dominance is based on “fabricated factors masking electoral manipulation,” including alleged EVM fraud and manipulated voter rolls.
• 🇮🇩 Indonesia’s Deadly Protests Lead to Cabinet Shake-up: President Prabowo Subianto replaced five ministers following mass protests sparked by public dissatisfaction over economic hardships and a controversial 50 million rupiah housing allowance for parliament members, which led to 10 deaths.
• ✊ Violent Protests Emerge as a Regional Model: The “Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan models” demonstrate that violent public protests can succeed in overthrowing corrupt rulers and restoring democratic systems in authoritarian nations where peaceful dissent has failed.

By Rakesh Raman
New Delhi | September 11, 2025

A wave of political instability and intense public discontent is sweeping across South Asia, marked by escalating protests in Nepal, recent upheaval in Indonesia, and significant allegations of electoral manipulation in India.

Citizens are voicing their anger against corruption and perceived political insensitivity. This regional unrest highlights a growing impatience with dysfunctional political systems and the opulent lifestyles of political elites, contrasting sharply with economic hardships faced by ordinary people.

In Nepal, massive protests led by Gen Z activists have pushed Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s government to the brink. Demonstrators have resorted to arson and vandalism, including setting fire to President Ram Chandra Poudel’s home and damaging residences of former prime ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Sher Bahadur Deuba, as well as Energy Minister Deepak Khadka.

This dramatic escalation followed Oli’s decision to revoke a social media ban, yet the protests continued, increasingly targeting the “unpopular” government. Prime Minister Oli was reportedly under immense pressure to resign, with a growing number of ministers stepping down, and news reports suggest he resigned on Tuesday, September 9.

This unrest stems from a generation of young Nepalis who have grown up in a country plagued by corruption, nepotism, and a deeply dysfunctional political system. The children of elite politicians, or “nepo kids,” who often showcase lavish lives online, have become symbols of national grievances. A curfew was imposed in several parts of the country, including the capital Kathmandu, as police largely refrained from using force against the demonstrators.

Further to the southeast, Indonesia recently experienced deadly protests that led President Prabowo Subianto to replace five ministers in a cabinet reshuffle. These mass protests, which began at the end of August, were fueled by rising public dissatisfaction with Subianto’s administration and parliament’s perceived insensitivity over economic hardships affecting everyday people.

Public outrage intensified following reports that all 580 members of the House of Representatives received a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($3,075) in addition to their salaries. This allowance was nearly 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta and even more in rural areas. The independent National Commission on Human Rights reported that 10 people died during the five-day protests and described an inhumane approach by security forces in handling the demonstrations.

Adding to the regional political flux, India is facing serious allegations of electoral manipulation. A new report titled “Unveiling the Smokescreen of Indian Democracy: Fabricated Factors Masking Electoral Manipulation,” referred to as the “Smokescreen” report, asserts that India is experiencing an “unprecedented debate regarding the integrity of its electoral process”.

The report contends that the electoral dominance of the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not actually based on genuine popular support. Instead, it is attributed to a “sophisticated, multi-layered strategy involving a ‘smokescreen’ of manufactured narratives and alleged widespread electoral manipulation”.

The “Smokescreen” report also introduces the “Selective Wins” theory, positing that the BJP selectively manipulates Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to win crucial state and national elections while allowing opposition wins in less critical states to maintain the illusion of a fair democracy.

The report concludes that the current political landscape paints a grim picture for India, where nearly 1.4 billion people are described as suffering from “unprecedented poverty, corruption, inflation, unemployment, lawlessness, and religious animosity”. It asserts that “without EVM manipulation, electoral roll frauds, bribes to voters, threats to voters, etc.,” Modi and the BJP “cannot win even a single election”.

These events contribute to a broader regional trend where public uprisings are gaining traction as a means of political change. The “Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan models” are being cited as examples where violent public protests can succeed in overthrowing corrupt rulers and restoring democratic systems in authoritarian nations where peaceful dissent has failed.

Instances such as the resignation and flight of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024 and the forced departure of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2022 confirm that such intense public anger can lead to the restoration of democratic systems.

These violent protests are even compared to the French Revolution, serving as an inspiration for commoners in underdeveloped economies, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, seeking democracy and economic stability.

By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.

Rakesh Raman  |  LinkedIn  |  Facebook  | Twitter (X)