Tanka Prasad Acharya (Nepali: टंक प्रसाद आचार्य; 11 February 1912 – 23 April 1992) was a Nepali politician who served as the 19th
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 ...
from 1956 to 1957. He was one of the founders and the leader of the
Nepal Praja Parishad
The Nepal Praja Parishad ( Nepali: नेपाल प्रजा परिषद) 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 19 ...
, the first political party in Nepal with the goal of removing the
Rana Dynasty
Rana dynasty ( ne, राणा वंश, IAST=Rāṇā vaṃśa , ) is a Chhetri dynasty that imposed totalitarianism in the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1951, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and othe ...
's dictatorship.
Founding of the Nepal Praja Parishad
Tanka Prasad Acharya was born to Tika Prasad Acharya and Tika Devi Acharya in 1912.
Acharya met multiple other intellectuals seeking the end of the Rana dictatorship, primarily
Dashrath Chand
Dasharath Chand ( ne, दशरथ चन्द; 1903-28 January 1941) is martyr of Nepalese Democratic Movement and a politician of Nepal who was active in starting a political revolution in Nepal during Rana rule. He was born at Baskot of Baitadi ...
. In a hotel in
Bhimphedi
Bhimphedi ( ne, भीमफेदी), is a village located in the Bhimphedi Rural Municipality of Makwanpur District of Bagmati Province of Nepal. This village is known for its bazaar (marketplace). Bismuth ore is mined here.
Etymology
The wo ...
,
Makwanpur District
Makwanpur District( ne, मकवानपुर जिल्ला; , a part of Bagmati Province, earlier a part of Narayani Zone, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Hetauda as its district headquarter, as well ...
, Acharya and Chand came up with the idea to form the Nepal Praja Parishad (Nepal People's Council). They formed the group in 1936, after getting support from other pro-democracy intellectuals like
Dharma Bhakta Mathema and
Gangalal Shrestha.
Acharya was voted the leader of the group. Dharma Bhakta Mathema was also the gym instructor of
King Tribhuvan
Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज त्रिभुवन वीर विक्रम शाह देव ) (30 June 1906 – 13 March 1955) was King of Nepal from 11 December 1911 until his ...
, and Tribhuvan explicitly gave his support to the organisation.
The Nepal Praja Parishad took part in many anti-Rana activities. Initially, they handed out hand-written pamphlets to Nepali's, and wrote articles in multiple Indian papers. Eventually, Acharya brought a
printing machine
Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and Printmaking, images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabo ...
from India to Nepal, allowing them to print and distribute more pamphlets.
The group became more extreme as time went on, and later, in 1940, they planned the assassination of multiple officials in the Rana government. However, they were discovered after someone informed the government of their plan.
Acharya and many members of the group were sentenced to death, however Acharya was not executed, for he was a
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...
, and the killing of Brahmins was not allowed under Nepali law at the time. Instead, Acharya was sentenced to life in prison.
The Nepal Praja Parishad was effectively dissolved.
While in prison, in 1947, the Nepali National Congress was formed, and Acharya was elected its president. However, due to being in prison and unable to communicate with the Nepali Congress, this was only a symbolic move, and
B.P. Koirala
Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala ( ne, विश्वेश्वरप्रसाद कोइराला; 8 September 1914 – 21 July 1982), (Nepali: 1971 B.S. Bhadra 24 - 2039 B.S Shrawan 6)better known as B. P. Koirala ( ne, बीपी ...
became acting president.
Post-revolution political career
Following the
1951 Revolution, Acharya was released from prison and pardoned by King
Tribhuvan.
For a few years he remained a part of the
Nepali Congress
The Nepali Congress ( ne, नेपाली कांग्रेस ; abbr. NC) is the largest social democratic political party in Nepal. As per the results of recent local election, ''Nepali Congress'' stands as the single largest party of ...
as a senior member, however, following disagreements with the Nepali Congress leadership, he split off with
Bhadrakali Mishra, another senior politician of the Nepali Congress, and reformed the Nepal Praja Parishad. Acharya and the Nepal Praja Parishad were part of
Matrika Prasad Koirala
Matrika Prasad Koirala ( ne, मातृका प्रसाद कोइराला ; 1 January 1912 – 11 September 1997) was the Prime Minister of Nepal for two terms from 16 November 1951 to 14 August 1952 and again from 15 June 1953 to ...
's government in 1953, and remained a part of the opposition to the dominant Nepali Congress.
Premiership
In 1956,
King Mahendra
Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज महेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव; 11 June 1920 – 31 January 1972) was the King of Nepal from 13 March 1955 until ...
made Acharya Prime Minister.
During his premiership, the
first 5-year plan was started, the
Nepal Rastra Bank
The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) ( ne, नेपाल राष्ट्र बैंक) was established April 26, 1956 A.D. ( Nepali Date: Baisakh 14, 2013 B.S.) under the Nepal Rastra Bank Act, 1955, to discharge the central banking responsibili ...
was created and the
Supreme Court was established. Acharya's tenure was also seen as a golden age for
Nepal for foreign relations, establishing diplomatic relations with many countries and working closely with the Chinese government, primarily seen through the signing of the Economic Assistance Agreement with them on 7 October 1956, with China pledging Rs 60 million to the Nepali government for development. Acharya resigned as Prime Minister in July 1957.
Post-premiership
By the 1959 Nepali elections, there had been a split between Acharya and Mishra in the Nepal Praja Parishad, leading them to run separately. Acharya's faction of the Nepal Praja Parishad won 2 seats, whereas Mishra's won 1.
After King Mahendra's 1960 coup where he installed the
Panchayat system, Acharya was arrested and put in prison. He was released the following year, though he made little political impact.
Tanka Prasad Acharya died on 23 April 1992 due to kidney complications, aged 80.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acharya, Tanka Prasad
Prime ministers of Nepal
1912 births
1992 deaths
20th-century prime ministers of Nepal
Nepalese martyrs
Nepal Praja Parishad politicians
Khas people