A video clip claiming that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ expressed dislike for the republic has gone viral on social media platforms. However, Nepal Check found that Dahal was referring to former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during his speech.
In the 19-second video, Nepal’s Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda,’ is heard saying: “In my entire life, I have never liked the republic. I agreed to it out of compulsion. Therefore, if there’s a chance, it will be reversed. I also don’t like federal republican democracy. I don’t like the fact that Dalits and women are provided with inclusive and proportional representation.”
The video includes superimposed words: “I don’t like the republic. Why are you talking like this today, brother?” It was posted by a Facebook user named Amit Magar on July 10. Another user, Dilendra Yangdemba Nembang, shared it on Facebook, questioning its authenticity. The video has also been shared in a 80,000 member Facebook group for Rajendra Lingden, the chair of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, an opposition party.
Nepal Check fact-checked the video to determine if Prime Minister Dahal truly expressed his dislike for republicanism, federalism, and inclusiveness.
During the fact-checking process, we searched on Google using the words Prachanda said in the video. We found a one-minute video on Ujyalao Online posted on November 1, 2021. Dahal addressed a function organized by his party, the CPN-Maoist Center, in Kirtipur, Kathmandu’s outskirts. In his speech, Dahal quoted former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, as reported by Ujyaalo Online, which shared parts of the viral video on Facebook. Further research led us to a news report by News Agency Nepal, which published a longer version of the same video on its YouTube channel.
In his speech, Dahal said that the good work of the Maoists hadn’t been amplified. He said his party was also following the path of old parties such as the UML and Nepali Congress.
In the video, Dahal said (watch from 1 minute, 40 seconds to the end):
He [KP Oli] has said that many times, as you must have heard. I just heard what he said. What he says behind closed doors. We call it the KP Oli tendency. Since last year, we have been forced to fight against a new type of reactionary, counter-revolutionary communist [force]. He would frequently assert that he disliked a federal, democratic republic and that I disliked the proportional representation of Dalits and women.
prachanda
The other day, he said (I came to know that he said it after meeting with former king Gyanendra): All my life, I have never liked the republic; it is not my choice, I have done it out of necessity. Therefore, when there’s an opportunity, we will reverse it.
Dahal explained that his remarks were in reference to former Prime Minister Oli’s views, not his own opinions. Thus, the claim in the viral video lacks context.
The social media users had selectively edited the video to present Dahal in a negative light. In reality, he did not express any personal dislike for the republic or the proportional representation of women and Dalits. Instead, he was referring to the views attributed to former Prime Minister Oli. Therefore, Nepal Check ranked the claim as missing context.
| Claim | Claimed by | Nepal Check Verdict |
| Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ disliked the republic and inclusive policies | Social media users | Missing context |
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