Democracy Series

Return to Kathmandu Continuing from last week, I had been made in-charge of Kathmandu, and was based in Raxaul. From Raxaul, I used to organize and attend several party meetings. Meanwhile, Nepali Congress organized a conference in Darbhanga, Bihar. At the conference, Nepali Congress planned to launch an armed revolution. After the conference, I was […]

After the conclusion of the 1951 Revolution (Saat Saal Ko Kranti), I had imagined the possibility of going to jail because certain political beliefs would become extinct. However, I was proven wrong. I had imagined the days of spying on one’s own citizens were over. All the political freedoms we were granted felt like a

In the words of Mangala Devi Singh It was a cold winter morning. We had been hearing rumours. Harishwar Dayal, Indian Ambassador to Nepal had been warning us. “Democracy’s death is arriving. A big announcement is coming soon. Brace yourselves”, he had warned. While we were concerned, we weren’t worried. Two months down the line,

Delay in organizing general elections Amidst all the political instabilities, Nepal’s new found democracy was suffering the most. In 1957, a year after King Mahendra’s coronation, he sat down with Subarna Shumsher and other leaders to decide upon a date for the general elections. In the meeting, King Mahendra pledged to organize the elections within

King Tribhuvan Passes Away After the establishment of democracy in Nepal, on 13th April, 1952, the government restructured the Advisory Committee. However, the new committee lacked female representation, and therefore Nepal Mahila Sangh protested. We staged a huge protest right outside the palace, demanding adequate representation, and staged a ‘Satyagraha’ (civil disobedience movement). Eventually, the

Political Instabilities Continue: Matrika Koirala becomes Prime Minister After the Congress-Rana government of 1951 AD was dissolved, it paved way for a new government, which required a name for the Prime Minister’s position to be recommended. A meeting of the Central Committee was called for, and Congress was divided over B P Koirala and Matrika

The unfortunate death of Chiniya Kaji Tuladhar Meanwhile, protests against the government began to intensify – the communists were protesting, Gorkha Dal was protesting, so much so, even the student wing of Nepali Congress, Nepal Student Union began demonstrating against their own government. One day, police arrested around five to seven student leaders of NSU

An unfortunate incident Prior to the establishment of democracy in Nepal, Khukuri Dal, a pro-Rana political party had worked hard to disallow democratic reform in Nepal. They would terrorise locals while yielding knives (Khukuris), and at several neighbourhoods, locals would form anti-terror squads. Following the Falgun 7 Proclamation, Khukuri Dal became Gorkha Dal. It would

4th Falgun, 2007 B.S: King Tribhuvan and Congress leaders return home It was a nice and clear day in Kathmandu. The sun was warm and the sky was blue. From early morning, Kathmandu residents began heading to Gauchar – for this day, their beloved king and leaders of Nepali Congress were to return home. The

An incident at Gauchar Before I get ahead of myself, I completely forgot about one incident which had happened a few weeks ago. After King Tribhuvan escaped to India seeking political asylum with his family, the Rana government arranged for four year old Gyanendra to become the new monarch. However, simply organizing a coronation ceremony