Prachanda (Pushpa Kamal Dahal)
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A profile
The Times of India, August 4, 2016, Aug 04 2016
Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal spent years hiding out in the jungle directing a guerrilla war against the state, before transforming his Maoist revolutionary movement into a political party.
The charismatic 61-yearold -better known by his nom-de-guerre Prachanda (the fierce one) -recruited thousands into his Maoist army with a rousing call to end centuries of feudal inequality and overthrow a 240-year-old monarchy . The ten-year insurgency he led brought the Nepalese state to its knees as the Maoists won control of large swathes of countryside.
After a 2006 peace agreement, the father-of-four made a triumphant entry into politics, becoming PM for the first time after his party won elections in 2008. But he resigned just nine months later after the president blocked his efforts to sack the army chief in a row over the integration of former Maoist fighters.
Prachanda was born a Brahmin, but his family was poor. The poverty he witnessed spurred an interest in farleft ideology and he joined a communist party in 1980 at the age of 25. He worked as a teacher, but gradually became convinced that an armed insurgency was the only way to bring radical change to one of the world's poorest countries.Inspired by China's cultural revolution, he launched the “People's War“ in 1996.
In recent years, however, many former guerrillas have quit the party , accusing Prachanda of betraying their sacrifices. He has come under fire for his lavish lifestyle, notably when it emerged that he had rented a sprawling estate in Kathmandu that includes a 15-room mansion.
Another scandal erupted when the Maoist-led government acknowledged offering $250,000 to fund an Everest ex pedition by Prachanda's son Prakash. “He began to be seen as (someone) attracted to not just money and power but also to people outside the movement who were rich and powerful,“ said Aditya Adhikari, a politics expert. His fondness for luxury saw support for the Maoists plummet and the party won just 80 out of 575 seats in the 2013 national polls.
In a bid to strengthen his hand, he joined with hardline Maoist splinter groups to form a new political party in May , withdrawing his support from the coalition government. “Last time, I was inexperienced. We still had a war mindset from the insurgency years. Now, after 10 years in open politics, I have learnt the rules of competitive democracy ,“ he said.
Indian supporters
Sardar Pritam Singh
July 7, 2023: The Times of India
Kathmandu : PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda’s remarks that an Indian businessman settled in Kathmandu “once made efforts” to make him the premier has stirred up a storm with the opposition demanding his resignation. Prachanda also said Sardar Pritam Singh, a pioneer trucking entrepreneur in Nepal, played a historic role in enhancing Nepal-India relations.
Prachanda made these remarks while addressing a function to launch a book about Pritam Singh. “He travelled to Delhi several times and held multiple rounds of talks with political leaders in Kathmandu to make me the PM,” he said. The remarks have drawn criticism from several quarters. The main opposition party Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML) disrupted the national assembly meeting Wednesday, demanding the PM’sresignation. Chairman of CPN-UML KP Sharma Oli said they want resignation from the PM, not a clarification. “His remarks have given a blow to national independence, dignity, the constitution and the parliament. ” Speaking in the lower house, UML lawmaker Raghuji Pant said, “We don’t need a PM appointed by Delhi. ” The ruling parties have also expressed dissatisfaction.
The PM has clarified his remarks about Pritam Singh“has been misinterpreted to cause astir. ” What he had said was quoted from what Pritam Singh had said in the book, he said. “I wanted to show that Pritam Singh was not only interested in social service and transport business but also in politics and that he had lobbied with parties in Delhi and Nepal to make me PM. ”Government spokesperson Rekha Sharma said the PM will not resign over his remarks.
PTI
