Kathmandu, March 16 -- Frustrated by the failure of successive governments led by major political forces in the past decade, Nepal's civil society has begun a series of protest programmes against what they call 'netaraj', meaning the arbitrary rule of a handful of leaders.

The protest was launched by some of the noted civil society leaders including those who helped major political parties fight against the autocratic rule of the then king Gyanendra in 2006. The agitation had culminated in the abolition of Hindu monarchy and the establishment of a secular republic.

It is quite natural for civil society members to be critical of the authorities when they fail to deliver. But the timing of the civil society movement this time around appea...