Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala, daughter of Nepal’s Science and Technology Minister Prakash Koirala, is in the eye of storm for campaigning for a mayoral candidate for the February 8 local body polls which have been described as ‘‘stage managed’’ by the parties opposed to the King. As Nepal was paralysed following a nationwide shutdown called by the seven pro-democracy parties. The actress was at the Morang district Election Commision office in Biratnagar to propose the name of the mayoral candidate and file nominations on behalf of Binod Aryal, a former member of the Nepali Congress, who is running for the post as an independent candidate. While star-struck youngsters lined up the road to catch a glimpse of Koirala and asked her to sign autographs, members of the Nepal Students Union (NSU) shouted slogans against the actress and displayed black flags.The star was, however, unfazed. ‘‘I am not scared of anybody protesting against me. I have come here all the way from Mumbai to get Aryal elected,’’ a report in a national daily quoted her as telling the gathering.Koirala is the granddaughter of the kingdom’s first elected Prime Minister the late B P Koirala. While her grandfather’s party the Nepali Congress is boycotting the municipal polls, her father Prakash Koirala is supporting the elections. She is canvassing for the poll at a time when her two uncles Shashank and Shekher and aunt Sujata Koirala are in jail for opposing the municipal polls.The NSU district office in Kaski has announced that it would boycott Manisha’s films after she gave an interview to Nepal television openly backing the municipal polls. The Students Union has decided to protest against screening of her film in Pokhara,according to The Annapurna Post.
