Political party in Nepal
The
Nepal Praja Parishad
(
Nepali
: ????? ????? ?????) was the first attempt to form an organization to lead the revolution against the
Rana dynasty
in Nepal. Led by
Tanka Prasad Acharya
, the group was founded in 1936, and is seen as the first political party in Nepal. The organisation collapsed after their plot to assassinate multiple members of the Rana regime was discovered, and some of its key members were executed.
[1]
Tanka Prasad Acharya
History
[
edit
]
The idea of the Nepal Praja Parishad was proposed by
Dashrath Chand
and
Tanka Prasad Acharya
in a hotel in
Bhimphedi
,
Makwanpur District
of Nepal. Following many years of dictatorial rule from the Ranas in the role of
Prime Minister
,
[2]
people in Nepal began to support their overthrow, however it was mostly exclusive to rich high class intellectuals, with the uneducated peasantry unable and unwilling to help. The Nepal Praja Parishad was formed in 1936, after Acharya and Chand received support from other aristocrats and intellectuals.
[3]
The group was led by Tanka Prasad Acharya, and the organization's head office was kept in
Dharma Bhakta Mathema
's house in Om Bahal,
Kathmandu
.
[4]
Anti-Rana activities
[
edit
]
Initially, the Nepal Praja Parishad distributed hand-written pamphlets among the people and wrote articles against the Rana Dynasty in Nepal in an Indian socialist paper "Janata" and another paper published in
Calcutta
named "Advance". Later, Tanka Prasad Acharya brought a
printing machine
from India, and the organization started to distribute pamphlets, print articles in newspapers and draw wall posters against the Rana dynasty to enlighten the people against their rule. The Nepal Praja Parishad also later planned the assassination of multiple high ranking politicians in the Rana regime.
[5]
[6]
However, they were unsuccessful in their plot, and were discovered after a member of the group informed the Rana government.
Dissolution
[
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]
After the Rana government found out about the assassination plot of the Nepal Praja Parishad, Prime Minister
Juddha Shumsher
had the leading members of the group arrested. In 1941, multiple members of the group were sentenced to death.
Dharma Bhakta Mathema
,
Dashrath Chand
,
Gangalal Shrestha
and
Tanka Prasad Acharya
were sentenced to death. However, Acharya was not executed, for Nepali law at the time forbade the killing of
Brahmins
.
[7]
Following their execution, and Acharya's sentence changed to life imprisonment, the Nepal Praja Parishad was dissolved in January 1941. Mathema, Chand and Shrestha, along with
Shukraraj Shastri
, another anti-Rana intellectual who was not involved with the Praja Parishad, are now recognized as the
4 Martyrs of Nepal
.
[8]
[9]
1950s Reactivation
[
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]
Following the events of the
1951 Revolution
, the Ranas were removed from power and parliamentary democracy was established in Nepal. Tanka Prasad Acharya was released from prison, and had at this point been a senior member of the
Nepali Congress
. However, following disagreements with the Nepali Congress, Tanka Prasad Acharya and
Bhadrakali Mishra
, another senior politician of the Nepali Congress, split off from the party and reactivated the Nepal Praja Parishad in the 1950s.
[10]
The party served in the government of
Matrika Prasad Koirala
in 1953, and remained a notable political party in opposition to the Nepali Congress.
[11]
Tanka Prasad Acharya was even made Prime Minister by
King Mahendra
in 1956. However, in 1959, Acharya and Mishra contested the elections separately, and were recognized as different political parties: the
Nepal Praja Parishad (Acharya)
and the
Nepal Praja Parishad (Mishra)
. Acharya's faction of the party won 2 seats in the election, whereas Mishra's faction won 1.
[12]
In 1961, following King Mahendra's implementation of the
Panchayat system
, the party rejoined the Nepali Congress.
[13]
Members
[
edit
]
The Nepal Praja Parishad consisted of many Nepali revolutionaries of the time. The leaders of the group included
Ram Hari Sharma Nepal
,
Dharma Bhakta Mathema
,
Dashrath Chand
,
Tanka Prasad Acharya
and
Gangalal Shrestha
. Dharma Bhakta Mathema was also the gym instructor of
King Tribhuvan
, and the motives of the organization were known to and also supported by him. Other members of this organization included Chudaprasad Sharma, Govinda Prasad Upadhya(Poudyal), Puskar Nath Upreti, Mukunda Nath Rimal, Bal Bahadur Pandey, Druba Prasad Dawade, Fadindra Nath Satyal, Hari Krishna Shrestha, Chakra Bahadur Khatri,
Ganesh Man Singh
, Keshav Khatri, Ramji Shrestha, Chandraman Shrestha, and also King Jaya Prithivi Bahadur Singh of
Bajhang
.
[14]
Electoral performance
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Mishra and Acharya contested as separate groups of the Praja Parishad
Leadership
[
edit
]
Prime Minister of Nepal
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Lecomte-Tilouine, Marie (2013),
Revolution in Nepal: An Anthropological and Historical Approach to the People's War
, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, p. 39,
ISBN
9780198089384
- ^
Brown, T.L. (1996),
The Challenge to Democracy in Nepal
, New York: Routledge, p. 5,
ISBN
9780415085762
- ^
Brown, T.L. (1996),
The Challenge to Democracy in Nepal
, New York: Routledge, p. 16,
ISBN
9780415085762
- ^
Asha, S.P. (c. 2000).
Hami Le Prajatantra Kasari Lyayau
. Kathmandu: Sanhila Prakashan.
- ^
Lecomte-Tilouine, Marie (2013),
Revolution in Nepal: An Anthropological and Historical Approach to the People's War
, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, p. 39,
ISBN
9780198089384
- ^
Brown, T.L. (1996),
The Challenge to Democracy in Nepal
, New York: Routledge, p. 16,
ISBN
9780415085762
- ^
Gellner, D.N. (August 2007).
"Democracy in Nepal: four models"
.
Seminar
.
576
: 50 – via Oxford University Research Archive.
- ^
Lecomte-Tilouine, Marie (2013),
Revolution in Nepal: An Anthropological and Historical Approach to the People's War
, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, p. 39,
ISBN
9780198089384
- ^
Brown, T.L. (1996),
The Challenge to Democracy in Nepal
, New York: Routledge, p. 16,
ISBN
9780415085762
- ^
Khanal, Yadav (23 March 2005).
"Prospects for unity of NC and NC-D - The Himalayan Times"
. International Media Network Nepal (Pvt.) Ltd. The Himalayan Times
. Retrieved
5 April
2020
.
- ^
Levi, Werner (1954). "Political Rivalries in Nepal".
Far Eastern Survey
.
23
(7): 105.
doi
:
10.2307/3024093
.
ISSN
0362-8949
.
JSTOR
3024093
.
- ^
Whelpton, John (2005),
A History of Nepal
, New York: Cambridge University Press, p. 96,
ISBN
978-0521804707
- ^
Parmanand (c. 1978).
The Nepali Congress in exile
(First ed.). Delhi: University Book House. p. 43.
- ^
Yadav, Pitambar Lal (c. 1996).
Nepal ko Rajnaitik Itihas
. Benaras: Modern Deepak Press.