Communism in Nepal
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Communism in Nepal traces its roots back to the pro-democracy movement of 1951, and the subsequent overthrow of the autocratic
Rana regime 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 other ...
and the establishment of
democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...
in Nepal. The communist movement in
Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
has split into factions multiple times and multiple factions have come together into a single fold at times as well. It has a history of getting banned from open political discourse, as well as multiple instances of embracing guerrilla insurgency, most notably, the
Maoist Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Ch ...
insurgency in the 1990s and early 2000s that led to the
Nepalese Civil War The Nepalese Civil War was a protracted armed conflict that took place in the former Kingdom of Nepal from 1996 to 2006. It saw fighting between the Nepalese royal government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) throughout the country ...
, claiming at least 17,000 lives. The Maoists and other main political parties (communist and otherwise) formed a united coalition, launching a successful peaceful civil resistance against the
dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in tim ...
ial
coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
by the
monarchy A monarchy is a government#Forms, form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The legitimacy (political)#monarchy, political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restric ...
. This resistance movement resulted in the abolition of the monarchy and the drafting of a new constitution. The constitution affirmed Nepal as a
secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
,
federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
, democratic republic, which strived towards democratic socialism. The two main communist parties of Nepal contested the first election according to the new constitution as a coalition, eventually leading to the unification of two parties. The unified party had a strong majority in the
federal parliament The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor-gen ...
, as well as six out of seven provinces of Nepal.


History

Communism arrived relatively late in Nepal because of the country's isolation from the rest of the world during the Rana regime. By 1930, communist writings had begun to be smuggled into Nepal and two of the four great martyrs, Dasharath Chand and Gangalal Shrestha were known to have been readers of communist literature. The country was still largely illiterate. Much of what would become the first communist party of Nepal was born during the
Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...
.


Communist Party of Nepal

The communist movement in Nepal traces its history back to
Pushpa Lal Shrestha Pushpa Lal Shrestha ( ne, पुष्पलाल श्रेष्ठ) (1924 – 22 July 1978) was a Nepali politician, considered to be the father of Nepali communism. He was the founding general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal as ...
, the father of Nepali communism and the founder and general secretary of the first Nepali communist party, the
Communist Party of Nepal The Communist Party of Nepal ( ne, नेपाल कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी), abbreviated CPN, was a communist party in Nepal from 1949 to 1962. It was founded on 15 September 1949 to struggle against the autocratic Rana ...
. Younger brother to Gangalal Shrestha, Pushpa Lal joined the political fight against the autocratic Rana regime at a young age. He began his political career as a member of
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 ...
, which was dissolved in 1941, following the execution of the great martyrs. While continuing to be a part of the Indian independence movement, many Nepali students, leaders and activists in India, began to organise under the common goal of birthing a conscious political movement against the Rana regime, and bringing democracy to Nepal, with the help of the Indian friends, after independence was achieved in India. Pushpa Lal went on to become a prominent member of the Nepal Rastriya Congress (NRC), one of the prominent forebears of
Nepali Congress Party 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 o ...
. Disillusioned by the political infighting within the party, and the party's willingness to cooperate with some Ranas, Pushpa Lal left the party he was the office secretary of, and sought to birth an "uncompromising political struggle" against the Rana regime. After his meeting with the noted Indian communist leader Nripendra Chakrawarti, he settled upon founding a communist party, deeming the support of the international socialist movement an indispensable asset in the struggle against
feudalism Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
. On 22 April 1949, he founded the Communist Party of Nepal along with four other colleagues, in
Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
. He translated ''
The Communist Manifesto ''The Communist Manifesto'', originally the ''Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (german: Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei), is a political pamphlet written by German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Commissioned by the Commu ...
'' and other writings of
Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...
and Mao, in addition to his own original writings on Nepali struggle for democracy and Nepal's future path. Following the end of the Rana regime in 1951, Nepal saw a brief period of exercise in democracy, with Nepali Congress, the king and the Ranas as the main players. Pushpa Lal Shrestha and his party returned to Nepal. Following the Raksadal Revolt of 1952, the party was banned on 24 January 1952. In 1954, the party held its first general conference where
Man Mohan Adhikari Man Mohan Adhikari (Magi) ( ne, मन मोहन अधिकारी 9 June 1920 – 26 April 1999) was the 31st Prime Minister of Nepal from 1994 to 1995, representing the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist). He is the ...
was elected secretary-general. In the municipal elections held in September 1953, NCP candidates won six seats, even though the party was officially banned. The ban lasted four years and was lifted in 1956. In 1957, the leader of the pro-monarchy faction,
Keshar Jung Rayamajhi Keshar Jung Rayamajhi (1919 – 17 December 2012) ( ne, केशरजंग रायमाझी) was a Nepalese politician. He was a leading figure in the communist movement in the country, but later turned into a royalist. Rayamajhi hails fr ...
, replaced Adhikari as the secretary-general. The party had a poor showing in the general election of 1959, under the Rayamajhi leadership, winning just four seats out of 109 and 7.4% of the total votes cast. On 15 December 1960, king Mahendra, in a bloodless coup, deposed the democratically elected Nepali Congress government, imprisoned many political leaders including the deposed prime minister B. P. Koirala, and established the "partyless" Panchayat system. Keshar Jung Rayamajhi faction joined the Panchayat system and was expelled from the party by the third party congress held in Benaras in exile, in 1962;
Tulsi Lal Amatya Tulsi Lal Amatya (; May 1916 – August 1997) was a Nepalese politician. Biography Amatya was born in May 1916 in Lalitpur, Nepal to Riddhinarsimha Malla Amatya and Yog Maya Awnatya. In 1962, he served as the general secretary of the Commu ...
became the secretary-general. The communist movement further splintered into many factions in the coming decades of political struggle against the Panchayat system, while in exile and underground.


Nepal Communist Party (Marxist–Leninist)

One of the most significant factions to emerge was the guerrilla movement known as Jhapa movement, led by young activists Mohan Chandra Adhikari, Chandra Prakash Mainali and
Radha Krishna Mainali Radha Krishna Mainali, better known as R. K. Mainali (born September 26, 1946 in Chokpur, Taplejung DistrictK.C., Surendra. ''Aitihasik dastavej sangroh - bhag 2''. Kathmandu: Pairavi Prakashan, 2063 B.S.. p 453.) is a Nepalese politician. In t ...
, and influenced by Charu Majumdar, the architect of Naxalite guerrilla movement in neighbouring north-east India. The guerrilla insurgency was brought to an abrupt halt in 1971, when
Nepali Army The Nepali Army ( ne, नेपाली सेना, translit=Nēpālī Sēnā), technically the Gorkhali Army ( ne, गोरखाली सेना, translit=Gōrakhālī Sēnā, label=none; see ''Gorkhas''), is the land service branch ...
launched an effective counter-insurgency, killing many cadres. The comprehensive failure of Jhapa movement led to self-reflection among the increasingly intellectual ranks of the Nepali communist movement. In the subsequent decades, there emerged an increased skepticism of dogmatic import of foreign ideas and strategies, and an appreciation for the development of an original path to socialism in Nepal, particularly designed to be suited to the Nepali reality. A faction led by
Madhav Kumar Nepal Madhav Kumar Nepal ( ne, माधवकुमार नेपाल, ; born 6 March 1953), is a Nepalese politician and former Prime Minister of Nepal. He served as Prime Minister of Nepal from 25 May 2009 to 6 February 2011 for nearly two years. ...
as well as another faction led by
Madan Bhandari Nepal Ratna Man Padavi Madan Kumar Bhandari ( ne, मदन कुमार भण्डारी) (27 June 1951K.C., Surendra. ''Aitihasik dastavej sangroh - bhag 2''. Kathmandu: Pairavi Prakashan, 2063 B.S.. p 464. – 17 May 1993), common ...
had merged with
All Nepal Communist Revolutionary Coordination Committee (Marxist–Leninist) All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...
by 1977, which launched Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist–Leninist), popularly known as ''Male'', in 1978. ''Male'' focused on grass-roots movement and mass-education of the workers and peasant class. One member who would later emerge as one of the most powerful communist leaders in Nepal,
KP Sharma Oli Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli ( ne, खड्गप्रसाद शर्मा ओली, ; born 22 February 1952) is a Nepalese politician and former Prime Minister of Nepal. He served three terms as prime minister from 11 October 2015 to 3 Augu ...
, is credited by some, for playing a part in shifting the party ideology from violent insurgency to peaceful political struggle. In the 1980 referendum, ''Male'', already a party with national reach and a significant grassroots support, actively campaigned for the option of multi-party democracy. With this open campaign for democracy, ''Male'' bolstered its support among pro-democracy electorate as well as the international community and had emerged as the premier force of the Nepali communist movement. In 1982, the party officially abandoned armed struggle as a non-viable option, opting for peaceful mass resistance instead; it also deposed Chandra Prakash Mainali, and
Jhala Nath Khanal Jhala Nath Khanal ( ne, झलनाथ खनाल, ; born 20 May 1950) is a Nepalese politician who was the 35th Prime Minister of Nepal from February 2011 to August 2011. He was previously the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified ...
took over as general secretary. The party continued to absorb minor factions of the communist movement throughout the 1980s, and by the mid-1980s, had emerged as the premier communist force overshadowing the pro-Soviet Communist Party of Nepal - Marxist (CPN-M) led by veteran leaders
Man Mohan Adhikari Man Mohan Adhikari (Magi) ( ne, मन मोहन अधिकारी 9 June 1920 – 26 April 1999) was the 31st Prime Minister of Nepal from 1994 to 1995, representing the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist). He is the ...
and Sahana Pradhan (
Pushpa Lal Shrestha Pushpa Lal Shrestha ( ne, पुष्पलाल श्रेष्ठ) (1924 – 22 July 1978) was a Nepali politician, considered to be the father of Nepali communism. He was the founding general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal as ...
's widow). The party continued to move towards democratic socialism, and in 1986, elected
Madan Bhandari Nepal Ratna Man Padavi Madan Kumar Bhandari ( ne, मदन कुमार भण्डारी) (27 June 1951K.C., Surendra. ''Aitihasik dastavej sangroh - bhag 2''. Kathmandu: Pairavi Prakashan, 2063 B.S.. p 464. – 17 May 1993), common ...
, who would later go on to architect the
People's Multiparty Democracy People's Multiparty Democracy (, abbreviated ) refers to the ideological line of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), Unified Socialist Party and Nepal Communist Party. It was proclaimed in 1993. This thought abandons the t ...
principle, as general secretary. In 1990, it formed the United Left Front with CPN-M, joined with Nepali Congress, and organised and participated in the peaceful civil resistance of 1990. Following the subsequent end of Panchayat system in favour of constitutional monarchy, the United Left Front would go on to formalise the coalition; CPN-M and CPN-ML uniting into CPN-UML in 1991.


Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist)

The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist) is the third largest Communist party of Nepal. It was formed in August, 2021 under the leadership of
Madhav Kumar Nepal Madhav Kumar Nepal ( ne, माधवकुमार नेपाल, ; born 6 March 1953), is a Nepalese politician and former Prime Minister of Nepal. He served as Prime Minister of Nepal from 25 May 2009 to 6 February 2011 for nearly two years. ...
. It split from CPN (UML) citing dictatorship, arrogance and monopoly of party president KP Sharma Oli. Nepal was supported by former prime minister
Jhala Nath Khanal Jhala Nath Khanal ( ne, झलनाथ खनाल, ; born 20 May 1950) is a Nepalese politician who was the 35th Prime Minister of Nepal from February 2011 to August 2011. He was previously the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified ...
, senior Communist leader
Pradeep Nepal Pradeep Nepal ( ne, प्रदीप नेपाल; born 1954) is a Nepali communist politician belonging to CPN (Unified Socialist). He also a former government minister under Manmohan Adhikari cabinet. He has also a writer, and has publis ...
, 32 parliamentarians and lakhs of party members throughout the country. The party follows the norms of Marxism–Leninism and People's Multiparty Democracy. The party has become one of the four major parties in Nepal.


Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist)

Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (; abbr. CPN (UML)) is the largest political party in Nepal on the basis of memberships. As per the results of recent elections, ''CPN (UML)'' stands as the second largest party of Nepal ...
(CPN-UML), under the leadership of
Man Mohan Adhikari Man Mohan Adhikari (Magi) ( ne, मन मोहन अधिकारी 9 June 1920 – 26 April 1999) was the 31st Prime Minister of Nepal from 1994 to 1995, representing the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist). He is the ...
, won 69 out of 205 seats in the 1991 elections, becoming the second largest party and the main opposition party. The 1993 general conference ratified the party ideology dubbed
People's Multiparty Democracy People's Multiparty Democracy (, abbreviated ) refers to the ideological line of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), Unified Socialist Party and Nepal Communist Party. It was proclaimed in 1993. This thought abandons the t ...
, and elected its principal architect,
Madan Bhandari Nepal Ratna Man Padavi Madan Kumar Bhandari ( ne, मदन कुमार भण्डारी) (27 June 1951K.C., Surendra. ''Aitihasik dastavej sangroh - bhag 2''. Kathmandu: Pairavi Prakashan, 2063 B.S.. p 464. – 17 May 1993), common ...
as the general secretary, with Adhikari remaining party chairman. The manifesto affirmed the party's commitment to democratic socialism and opened path for its recognition in the international arena as a democratic force with a left-lean, rather than a communist party, despite its name. Madan Bhandari, along with the party's Head of Organisation Department, Jibaraj Ashrit, was killed on a jeep accident later that year; and Madhav Kumar Nepal became general secretary. In the 1994 midterm elections, CPN-UML became the largest party, winning 88 seats, mainly on the back of the popular PMD, and public sympathy at the loss of Madan-Ashrit. Man Mohan Adhikari became prime minister of the minority government which lasted only nine months. However, during the short tenure, Adhikari government introduced a number of welfare programs, most significant of which was a monthly stipend to all elderly citizens. The popular welfare program would secure CPN UML's future in Nepali politics for decades to come. In 1998, 46 lawmakers defected to form their own party, including influential figures of the leadership like C. P. Mainali, Jhalanath Khanal, Sahana Pradhan and Bamdev Gautam. However, the new party only garnered 6.4% of the vote in the 1999 elections, and the vote division only led to the victory of Nepali Congress. Most of the leaders were back to CPN UML by 2002 and only a small splinter group led by C. P. Mainali remained outside, forming their own party.


Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)

Pushpa Kamal Dahal Pushpa Kamal Dahal ( ne, पुष्पकमल दाहाल; born 11 December 1954), also widely known by his nom de guerre Prachanda (, ; meaning "fierce"), is a Nepalese politician serving as the current Prime Minister of Nepal. He pre ...
and
Baburam Bhattarai Baburam Bhattarai ( ne, बाबुराम भट्टराई, ; born 18 June 1954), also known by his nom de guerre Laaldhwoj, is a Nepalese politician and former Prime Minister, who presently serves as leader of the Nepal Socialist Party ...
had split from their respective minor communist parties and formed the Maoist Party, which launched a "
people's war People's war ( Chinese: 人民战争), also called protracted people's war, is a Maoist military strategy. First developed by the Chinese communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong (1893–1976), the basic concept behind people's war is to main ...
" by 1996. The maoists mainly employed guerilla tactics, attacking police stations and government infrastructures. After Nepal Army was deployed and violence intensified, war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed by both sides. By 2005, the civil war had reached a stalemate, both politically and militarily.
King Gyanendra Gyanendra Shah ( ne, ज्ञानेन्द्र शाह, born 7 July 1947) is a former monarch who was the last King of Nepal, reigning from 2001 to 2008. As a child, he was briefly king from 1950 to 1951, when his grandfather, Tribhuva ...
had taken over direct rule of the country citing failure of the political parties to provide peace and security in the country, the Maoist party was deeply entrenched in the rural villages of Nepal and possessed the capability to bring the country to a standstill by calling a general strike whenever it desired but had no capability to dislodge the Nepali joint armed forces from
district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
headquarters, while the major political parties, including
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 ...
and
CPN (UML) CPN may refer to: * Calpine Corporation, New York Stock Exchange symbol CPN * Canadian Perinatal Network * ''Carnivorous Plant Newsletter'' * Carpinteria (Amtrak station), California, Amtrak station code CPN * Caspian Airlines (Iran), ICAO airli ...
were seeking a way to end violence in the country, as well as end direct rule of the king through popular protests. All together more than 17,000 people were killed, hundreds went missing and at least 200 000 were displaced during the Nepalese Civil War in 1996–2006.


Ideology and policies

Nepali communist parties subscribe to
Marxism Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialectical ...
, Leninism,
Maoism Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Ch ...
, or any combination of the three.
People's multiparty democracy People's Multiparty Democracy (, abbreviated ) refers to the ideological line of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), Unified Socialist Party and Nepal Communist Party. It was proclaimed in 1993. This thought abandons the t ...
principle of CPN UML and 21st century's people's multiparty democracy principle along with ''Prachandapath'' (Prachanda's way) of Maoists are examples of original thought or adaptation of traditional communist philosophy to modern times and Nepali landscape. While the minor communist parties continue to hold a variety of far-left ideologies, including a support for party-less communist autocracy held by many, the mainstream communist parties have affirmed their commitment to multi-party democracy. Indeed, no communist parties that won a significant number of seats in elections did so without announcing an explicit commitment to multiparty democracy. In the case of CPN-UML, it was formalised with the people's multiparty democracy manifesto. In the case of the Maoists, the same policy was put forward as the 21st century's people's multiparty democracy. The NCP continues to reaffirm its commitment to democracy having been the ruling party with a strong majority in all levels of government since the beginning of 2018; however, it is also claimed that the party's ultimate goal is Socialism and the building of a communist society. The communists are known for their welfare programs. Government stipend to elderly and widows have been increased significantly. Stipends to the unemployed have been promised. There has been a rising concern regarding press freedom, censorship and freedom of speech. The Nepali communists are also called out for their populist nationalism and anti-India propaganda. Other minor parties that do not believe in liberal democracy still continue to take part in the democratic process, citing that their main aim is to establish communism via a direct endorsement of the people through elections. Minor splinter groups that separated from Maoist party when it joined the peace process continue to carry out actions designed to intimidate and terrorise people, from time to time.


See also

* History of Nepal *
Politics of Nepal The politics of Nepal functions within the framework of a parliamentary republic with a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and their cabinet, while legislative power is vested in the Parliament. The Governin ...
*
List of communist parties in Nepal The Communist Party of Nepal is a name used by a number of Nepalese political parties claiming allegiance to communism. Most trace their roots back to the original Communist Party of Nepal formed in 1949. Active parties National parties O ...


References

{{Asia topic, Communism in Politics of Nepal Political history of Nepal