To understand the rage on the streets of Nepal, one must look far beyond the recent ban on social media. That act was merely the breaking of a single window in a house that was already on fire. The real reasons for the inferno are the long-neglected combustible materials of economic misery and political injustice.
The first and most significant source of this rage is economic disenfranchisement. For a generation of young Nepalis, the promise of a future has been replaced by the reality of a 20% unemployment rate. This is not just a statistic; it is a daily, personal crisis for millions, breeding a profound and explosive anger against the system that has failed them.
The second source of rage is the perception of a deeply unjust society, presided over by a corrupt and self-interested elite. The public sees a system where rules are for the powerless and rewards are for the connected. This sense of systemic unfairness has created a deep well of bitterness and a desire to tear down the entire rotten structure.
The social media ban was the final insult that turned this rage into action. It was a clear signal from the elite that they had no interest in listening to the people’s pain. For a populace already burning with a sense of economic and social injustice, this act of censorship was the equivalent of pouring gasoline on the flames.