Prachanda
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| Prachanda (प्रचण्ड) | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 11, 1954 Kaski, Nepal |
Prachanda (Nepali: प्रचण्ड pracaṇḍa, born Pushpa Kamal Dahal on December 11, 1954) is the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). He is also the leader of People's Liberation Army (PLA), military wing of CPN(M). Under his leadership, CPN (M) launched the Nepalese People's War on the 13th of February 1996, and until recently claimed to control large parts of rural Nepal.
Prachanda's extension of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism to take specific account of Nepal's situation is known as the Prachanda Path.
"Prachanda" is a nom de guerre along the lines of "Pancho Villa," "Hồ Chí Minh," or "Subcomandante Marcos." It can be literally translated as "the fierce one."
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[edit] Personal life and early career
Prachanda spent much of his childhood in the Chitwan District in Nepal. His family are reported to have been brahmins of modest means. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from an Agriculture college in Rampur, Chitwan.
He became general secretary (party leader) of the Communist Party of Nepal in 1986. This party, after a number of permutations became the Communist Party of Nepal(M)
Prachanda lived underground even after the restoration of democracy in 1990. Until then a little-known figure, he controlled the clandestine wing of the party while the parliamentary representation in the United People's Front was headed by Dr. Baburam Bhattarai. Since 1996 Prachanda has become internationally known as the leader of the CPN (M) military wing and its overall leader.
[edit] The Maoist insurrection
On February 4, 1996 Bhattarai gave the government, led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, a list of 40 demands, threatening civil war if they were not met. The demands related to "nationalism, democracy and livelihood" and included such line items as the "domination of foreign capital in Nepali industries, business and finance should be stopped," and "discriminatory treaties, including the 1950 Nepal-India Treaty, should be abrogated," and "land under the control of the feudal system should be confiscated and distributed to the landless and the homeless." [1] Since then, Prachanda has directed the military efforts of the CPN (M) towards establishing a so-called "base area" particularly in the mountainous regions and western Nepal.
The 40 demands were whittled down to 24 in subsequent political negotiations. [2]
[edit] Relations with Bhattarai
In late 2004 or early 2005, relations between Prachanda and Bhattarai soured. [3] This was reportedly due to disagreement on power sharing inside the party. It was reported that Bhattarai was unhappy with the consolidation of power in central leadership. It has since been reported that they have reconciled their differences. [4] [5]
[edit] Twelve point agreement
On November 22, 2005 Prachanda and the Seven Party Alliance released a "twelve-point agreement" that expressed areas of agreement between the CPN(M) and the parties that won a large majority in the last parliamentary election in 1999. Among other points, this document stated that a dictatorial monarchy of King Gyanendra is the chief impediment to progress in Nepal. It claimed further that the Maoists are committed to human rights and press freedoms and a multi-party system of government. It pledged self-criticism and the intention of the Maoists and the Seven Parties to not repeat past mistakes. [6]
[edit] Ceasefires
Several ceasefires have occurred over the course of the Nepalese civil war. [7] Most recently, on April 26, 2006, Prachanda announced a ceasefire with a stated duration of 90 days. The move followed weeks of massive protests —the April 2006 Nepalese general strike— in Kathmandu and elsewhere that had forced King Gyanendra to give up the personal dictatorship he had established on the February 1st, 2005, and restore the parliament that was dissolved in May 2002.
After that a new government was established by the Seven-Party Alliance. The parliament and the new government supported the ceasefire and started negotiations with the Maoists on the basis of the twelve-point agreement. The two sides agreed that a new constituent assembly will be elected to write a new constitution, and decide on the fate of monarchy. The Maoists want this process to end with Nepal becoming a republic. [8]
Many are skeptical of Prachanda's call for a multi-party democracy as it does not seem to be compatible with orthodox Maoist ideology.
[edit] Interim government
Prachanda met for talks with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on June 16, 2006, in what is thought to be his first visit to the capital Kathmandu in more than a decade. [9] [10] This meeting resulted in an agreement to dissolve parliament, incorporate the CPN (M) into a new interim government, draft a new constitution, and disband the CPN (M)'s "people's governments" operating in rural Nepal. The two sides also agreed to disarm at a later date, under international supervision. [11]
[edit] References
- ^ Baburam Bhattarai, "40 Point Demand," South Asia Intelligence Review, February 4, 1996
- ^ "Maoists Demand Interim Constitution," Kathmandu Post, April 28, 2003
- ^ Singh Khadka, "Nepal's Maoist leadership divisions," BBC, May 6, 2005
- ^ Charles Haviland, "Meeting Nepal's Maoist leader", BBC, June 16, 2005
- ^ Sanjay Upadhya, Nepal: Maoists hide More Than They Reveal", Scoop, February 16, 2005
- ^ Unofficial translation, "The 12-point agreement between the Maoists and the seven-party alliance as listed in statement by Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Tuesday," Nepal News, November 25, 2005
- ^ Kamala Sarup (ed.), "Maoists declare three-month long ceasefire," Peace Journalism/Nepal News, September 3, 2005
- ^ "Nepal Maoist rebels declare truce," BBC, April 27, 2006
- ^ "Maoists to join Nepal government," BBC, June 16, 2006
- ^ "Power Play," Times of India Online November 3, 2001
- ^ Maseeh Rahman, "After a decade of fighting, Nepal's Maoist rebels embrace government," The Guardian, June 17, 2006
[edit] External links
- Prachanda speech on democracy given at Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, New Delphi, India, November 18, 2006 / Video of the Speech (together with Lord Neill Kinnock, Labour Party Great Britain)
- L'Espresso-Interview with Prachanda: Our revolution won, November 2006
- L'Espresso-Interview with Prachanda as Video, November 2006
- Interview with Kantipur Online
- An interview with Prachanda
- BBC news Video Interview with Prachanda
- My Free Nepal
- Interview with Revolutionary Worker in 2000
