Oli: A child who showered under granny’s blessings

• Mohan Prasad Oli

Online Khabar/RSS

Bhaktapur, October 12. Call it pre-science. A fortnight ago, it had occurred to Mohan Prasad Oli his son will become prime minister. And on Sunday, his hunch turned true as CPN-UML Chair KP Oli became the 38^th prime minister of Nepal.

In the afternoon, the 85-year-old just arrived in Balkot from Prithvi Nagar, Jhapa, and stayed hooked to the TV that was telecasting prime ministerial election underway in the Parliament.

An astrologer, Mohan Prasad had scanned his son’s birth-chart and felt his son had arrived at a point in life where wishes come true. “I said to myself: Now, my son’s wishes will come true, the country’s poor people will get justice.”

“I had arrived here in April as well. Back then, I had told my son his wishes will come true,” Mohan Prasad said. He has become prime minister now. The country will fare better now, the poor people will benefit from this change.”

Mohan recalls his son used to stand against the rich and the powerful for suppressing the poor and the downtrodden even when he was a child. For this, he (KP Oli) had earned the wrath of the affluent people, recalls the proud father.

“After returning home from his wanderings, he used to put his forehead on his grandmother’s feet. He would not leave those feet without receiving blessings.” In her blessings, the grandma would often say, “Let you become a great man, a minister.”

When KP Oli was four years old, his mother passed away. His (KP’s) grandmother raised him, recalls Mohan. “He was the dear grandson,” Mohan recalls fondly.

This child had shown early signs politics was going to be his forte.

“After returning home from his wanderings, he used to put his forehead on his grandmother’s feet. He would not leave those feet without receiving blessings.” In her blessings, the grandma would often say, “Let you become a great man, a minister.”

Early in KP’s political career, Oli senior had no liking for his son’s involvement in politics that much.

“I would often ask him not to undermine, not to disrespect the rich, saying it would create problems.”

The junior Oli would not relent. “These rich people have suppressed, exploited poor people,” my son used to vent his ire thus,” Mohan recalls.

“And when he started becoming famous in the country and beyond, I thought he should keep pursuing politics,” the father says. “I stopped bothering about his involvement in politics after that.”

Mohan feels the national crisis will end, the country will usher into the path of development and the gulf between the rich and the poor will narrow down under his son’s leadership. Let’s hope his hopes become real.