Nepal PM Balen Shah joins Muslim family for lunch, video goes viral
A video of the newly elected Prime Minister of Nepal, Balen Shah, visiting a Muslim family and having lunch has gone viral
Kathmandu: A video of the newly elected Prime Minister of Nepal, Balen Shah, visiting a Muslim family and having lunch has gone viral.
35-year-old Balendra Shah, a former rapper, was sworn in as New Prime Minister of Nepal on March 26, 2026 after landslide victory in the Nepal elections.
Balen Shah had previously served as the Mayor of Kathmandu from 2022 to 2026. During his tenure as Mayor, he rose to prominence as a dynamic and influential young leader, widely admired by the country’s youth for challenging Nepal’s traditional political establishment.
Following the displacement of the long-standing political elites during the 2025 Nepalese Gen Z protests, Balen Shah emerged as one of Nepal’s leading political figures, symbolizing a shift toward a new generation of leadership.
Ahead of the 2026 Nepal Elections, Balen Shah resigned as Kathmandu Mayor, and joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). The party projected him as its Prime Ministerial candidate. The move worked and the RSP won the Nepal General Elections securing 182 of the total 275 seats.
After becoming Prime Minister, Balen Shah announced major reforms and also announced a number of measures besides visiting local residents.
In the vide, which is widely shared online, Balen Shah is seen having lunch at the residence of a Muslim family in Kathmandu.
Balen Shah is seen in the video sitting on the ground and having the meal offered in traditional Muslim family style.
“In Kathmandu, a Muslim family invited Nepal's New Prime Minister Balendra Shah to a feast, and Prime Minister Balendra Shah dined with the entire family at that dastarkhwan with great simplicity (sic)” a social media user wrote while sharing the video which does not show the exact date and time of its recording.
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काठमांडू में एक मुस्लिम परिवार ने नेपाल के नए प्रधानमंत्री बलेंद्र शाह को दावत पर बुलाया, और प्रधानमंत्री बलेंद्र शाह ने बहुत ही सादगी के साथ उस दास्तरख़ान पर पूरे परिवार के साथ खाना खाया।pic.twitter.com/IPEr4U59e9
— Rehan_Idrisi (@MR_COOL77777) April 4, 2026
Nepal is a Hindu majority country (81.9% of the total population) where followers of Budhism and Islam are respectively 8.21% and 5.09%. It is widely believed that Balen Shah is a Hindu, but some reports claimed he was born into a Newar Buddhist family with Maithili/Madhesi roots from Mahottari and Dhanusha districts. His swearing-in ceremony also featured elaborate Hindu-Buddhist rituals.
Balen Shah is married to Sabina Kafle - a public health professional, poet, and writer. Speculations are rife that Sabina is a Muslim. But, there is no official confirmation or public declaration about her faith and religion.
Before joining politics, Balen Shah was widely recognized as a rapper whose music addressed themes of corruption, inequality, and the frustrations of young Nepalis. He became a notable figure in Nepal’s hip-hop scene in his early twenties.
Balen Shah’s debut track, “Sadak Balak” (“Street Child”), was released in 2012, and he gained further visibility in 2013 through his participation in Raw Barz, a YouTube rap battle series that played a key role in popularizing Nepal’s underground hip-hop movement. His music was distinctly political, often critiquing government inefficiency and systemic issues.
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