Marich Man Singh Shrestha (; 1 January 1942 – 15 August 2013) was a Nepali politician and former

Prime Minister of Nepal The Prime Minister of Nepal ( ne, नेपालको प्रधानमन्त्री) is the head of government of Nepal. The Prime Minister is the head of the Council of Ministers of Nepal and the chief adviser to the President of N ...

. He was born in 1942 in Khalanga Bazar, Salyan,

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

. He served as the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

from 15 June 1986 to 6 April 1990, and is remembered as the last Prime Minister of the

Panchayat The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical ment ...

period and the Prime Minister during the 1989 Indian economic blockade on Nepal. Prior to that, he was the speaker of the

Rastriya Panchayat Rastriya Panchayat was the official legislature (parliament) during the Panchayat regime of Nepal that effectively functioned from 1960 to 1990. Its head office was at the ''"Gallery Baithak"'' in Singha Durbar, Kathmandu. In the 1980s, it co ...

from 1981 to 1985. He is one of the only two non-

Khas Khas people (; ne, खस) popularly known as Khas Arya are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Himalayan region of South Asia, what is now present-day Nepal, Indian states of Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Sikkim. Historical ...

Prime Ministers of Nepal A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only ways ...

, both the exceptions having been Newar Shresthas. He is the first

Newar Newar (; new, नेवार, endonym: Newa; new, नेवा, Pracalit script:) or Nepami, are the historical inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding areas in Nepal and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisatio ...

to have assumed the full title of the Prime Minister of Nepal, second if we count

Gehendra Bahadur Rajbhandari Gehendra Bahadur Rajbhandari ( ne, गेहेन्द्र बहादुर राजभण्डारी; November 1923 – 23 August 1994) was the most senior Minister (working with responsibility of the Prime Minister) in Nepal from 13 ...

who was acknowledged as an ''Acting'' Prime Minister.

Political career

In his office, he braved the sixteen months long ordeal of economic blockade (March 23, 1989) imposed on Nepal by India. When this blockade caused immense fuel scarcity in the country, he is credited for not bowing to foreign power by bringing in fuel to support the entire country via aeroplanes and delivering it to individual households. He was responsible for the mass suppression of democratic forces during the Mass Movement of 2046 BS (1989 AD) and this act highly degraded his status. He was dismissed by the

King Birendra Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज वीरेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव ) (28 December 1945 – 1 June 2001) was the tenth Shah Ruler and the King of N ...

during political tensions in which protestors called for multiparty elections. Subsequently, a draft constitution was introduced which allowed for direct elections to a bicameral parliament.

Death

Shrestha was brought to the

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

from New Delhi-based Medicity Hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment and was on ventilator support. He told family members that he wished to die in his own country and was air lifted to Kathmandu. Shrestha died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

at 3:00 on 15 August 2013 at Norvic Hospital, Kathmandu.

References

External links

Prime ministers of Nepal

Office of the Prime Minister of Nepal, Official website
, - Prime ministers of Nepal 1942 births 2013 deaths Newar People from Salyan District, Nepal Speakers of the National Assembly (Nepal) Nepalese Hindus Deaths from lung cancer Members of the Rastriya Panchayat 20th-century prime ministers of Nepal {{nepal-politician-stub