February 8, Kathmandu. Kushal Basnet
In a dramatic turn of events, Kedar Karki from Nepali Congress became the chief minister of Kosi Province in eastern Nepal. After four unstable governments since the 2022 elections, the provincial assembly was all set to perish followed by a midterm election. In October last year, the Nepali Congress wanted to duplicate the federal coalition in the province in the fifth and final bid to form a government by supporting Indra Bahadur Angbo from CPN (Maoist Centre). However, the standard equation of the federal ruling coalition of the Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Centre) with CPN (UML) as the main opposition failed in the province. Kedar Karki secured a majority of 47 out of 93 Assembly members in his support, including eight from Nepali Congress and 39 from CPN (UML).
Back then Karki was in the news. Now he is in memes. In the Nepal loop of Facebook, ‘meme Nepal’ is arguably the most popular meme page. The page’s latest meme is one in the flood of memes with the chief minister as the content. The meme video is captioned ‘The first benchers become successful in exam results. The last benchers become successful in life.’
Under the caption, a video of Karki speaking in Nepali plays, ‘I am also the last bencher of my class. The one who sat on the first bench only learned how to read and write. He only learned how to pass the public service exams and fill his belly. He is now a low-level civil servant while I am the chief minister.’ Young voices hoot.
Another internet video shows that Karki made the statement at Sajeelal Secondary School, Sundar Haraicha, Morang. In the video, Karki adds, ‘The knowledge does not lie in certificates. The marks in the certificates cannot measure the knowledge.’
The other video adds more context to what Karki meant, but youngsters are aggressively sharing the statement on backbenchers. Backbencher memes are popular all over the world. And Nepali youths are no exception. Chief minister Karki has overnight become not just a meme content but a favourite of the meme-consuming Nepali youths. On the other side of the aisle, teachers, parents, and concerned adults criticise Karki for making an irresponsible statement.
What Karki said is subject to interpretations, but he certainly reminds the youngsters of a political character most of them know. KP Sharma Oli, the chairman of CPN (UML), is a regular content for meme pages. The younger generation is familiar with the 71-year-old man’s wordplay, painting skills, and ambitious plan of delivering gas to people’s homes through pipelines, among many others. While the consequences of Karki’s statement are yet to follow, Oli’s case shows that political popularity in young Nepal is becoming increasingly connected to being viral on social media.