"I cannot speak loudly nowadays… I cannot even speak that much louder." These words late B. P. Koirala uttered while making his last address at the Khula Manch in Kathmandu in January 1982 at the time of the referendum greatly touched the listeners. He was suffering from throat cancer. He died on July 21, 1982, in Kathmandu. An estimated half a million people attended his funeral.

"Today, our country is in a crisis. All of us have realized that this crisis is getting entrenched since the last few years. As a result, the very national identity is endangered. Lack of national unity is a major factor for this national crisis as a result of which foreign elements have become successful to play their dirty games, making Nepal a center of international conspiracy." What legendary leader B.P. Koirala said in this statement on December 30, 1976 upon arrival in Nepal after eight years long exile in India has come true to today's Nepal.

B.P. Koirala was also an internationalist in his outlook. He was an active member of Socialist International and saw the destiny of Nepal in the larger context of political events unfolding in the Indian subcontinent and from the perspective of Afro-Asian nationalism on the world stage.

On 28 May 1959 B.P, in his first broadcast on his government's foreign policy, declared that Nepal would not adhere to any military bloc, nor abandon the policy of neutrality in her international relations. It might be noted that the B.P's was the only government, in a decade of democratic experiment in Nepal, which did not feel the need to use foreign policy as a means of strengthening its political position. B. P. Koirala's foreign policy was based on pragmatic considerations conducive to Nepal's national interests. He stood for supporting the United Nations because it was regarded as the custodian of the independence, territorial integrity and sovereign of small nations. He was opposed to a power blocks in world politics, since it was thought to pose a constant threat to the real independence of weak nations. He adopted non-alignment because it was viewed as the only policy which could keep Nepal aloof from the whirlwind of the cold war.

Lokatantra or democracy is for the common, least privileged of the people composing a country. It must first be of the people before it can be by the people. The emphasis should be not on money; emphasis should be on health, love, creativity, a feeling of communication, destroying all discrimination between the races, between the rich and poor, between the Hindu and the Muslims.

Koirala was at the centre of national politics during the 1950s, 1960s, and the 1970s. Even today, long after his death, we feel that restoration multi party democracy is a tribute to him. Koirala was also one of the most important literary figures of Nepal. In politics, he was a social democrat; in literature he was an existentialist especially in his novel Tin Ghumti (Three Turns). He said that he wrote his literary works are to satisfy his anarchist impulses but as a social democrat he was in a quest for political order that was agreeable to every citizen of Nepal.

As a politician, Koirala struggled throughout his life for the establishment of a multi-party democracy in the country. Traditional forces, still strong enough to resist such effort, made it very hard for him to accomplish his political mission. As a social democrat, he differed with communists, often saying that a man cannot live by bread alone. He also differed with the capitalists as he maintained that unbridled consumerism was immoral, and that the appalling exploitation of the world's resources was short-sighted and unrealistic. He believed that only socialism could guarantee political freedom and equal economic opportunities to the people. He said, "socialism is the wave of the future."

On Socialism

The main issue during BP Koirala’s time was to free Nepal's agrarian society from feudalistic production relations. He very well understood the need to promote private entrepreneurship in business and industry which was in an infant stage. The liberal Industrial Enterprise Act which was brought about by his government is testimony to this fact. He always said that the question of distribution in a society which produced very little is only academic, since distribution in such a situation will only mean distribution of poverty.

BP was highly influenced by Marx, particularly his technique of interpreting history. He was Marxist in that sense. According to Marxian economic interpretation of history, Nepal represents a pre-capitalistic economy where the main agenda is to hasten its transformation to bourgeoisie society where production relations are of higher order.

It is a well known fact that Prime Ministers of countries, or presidents, choose for their cabinets people who are pygmies, for the simple reason that on the one hand, they cannot be a competition to the Prime Minister, and on the other they know they are gone if the prime minister is gone- they have no status of their own. Only once in a while a prime Minister like B. P. Koirala, had  chosen the best people for his cabinet-any one was capable of being the Prime Minister.

B.P. Koirala has developed an institution of the Congress so strong that even after his death the party has been stronger and have the identity of its own. He was an institution in himself. These activities show courage, wisdom and a trust in one's own power over the masses. After B. P Koirala's government was sacked in 1960 he used to say that since the partyless Panchayat system was introduced it was the most unfortunate and dark day for Nepal and the Nepalese.

The new government had a sound political position and a sincere interest in coping with nation's problems. It attempted to streamline the administration of the country, which had stepped into the twentieth century less than 10 years before. The Koirala government made efforts to reform land tenure by giving more security to tenants and compulsorily redistributing part of the larger, still semi-feudal estates. The then  government's land program aroused the big landlord's opposition, and the growing popularity of the prime minister brought him into a clash of personality with the young King.

Review

The cursory review of the history indicates that the Nepali Congress, led by B.P. Koirala, laid great emphasis on socialist aims to be realized gradually through democratic means. It gave high priority to the redistribution of land and improvement of agriculture, village development, cottage industry and improvement in health, education and communications. It also favored protection of forest resources, promotion of heavy industry, security of foreign capital and labor legislation. Nepal's first general election was held in the spring of 1959 under the new democratic Constitution. In 1959, every party president except B.P. Koirala of the Nepali Congress was defeated. In May, 1959 Nepal's first elected government, headed by B.P. Koirala, took office.

The notable achievement during the Koirala goverment was an agreement was signed between Prime Minister B. P. Koirala and Prime Minister Chou En Lai in March 1960 regarding the settlement of outstanding boundary problems between the two countries.

On !5 December, 1960 King Mahendra sounded, without any apparent provocation, the death-knell of parliamentary democracy in Nepal. Royal palace guards arrested B.P. Koirala and all members of the Cabinet. The assembly was dissolved, political parties banned censorship imposed. An emergency was declared and the whole chapters of the constitution, including that guaranteeing fundamental rights, were suspended. In a proclamation, the King Mahendra accused the Koirala government of ruling the nation in the name of democracy, of implementing crud economic theories, of abating corruption and encouraging inefficiency.

Regarding the foreign policy with India B. P. Koirala's viewpoints was clear. While Nepali Congress led by B. P. Koirala, was not interested in reestablishing a " special relationship" formula as unworkable in practical terms, unacceptable in ideological terms, and harmful to Nepal's most important economic interests. The B. P. Koirala government, thus, sought to define a foreign policy stance that lay somewhere in between, based on a close relationship with India and friendly but rather formal relations with China. When Nehru offered help at the time of the Kor La Pass incident in the Mustang area B. P. Koirala, the Prime Minister of Nepal, made a statement, saying" Nepal is a fully sovereign independent nation. It decides its external and home policy according to its own judgment and its own liking without ever referring to any outside authorities. Our Treaty of Peace and Friendship with India affirms this. I take Mr. Nehru's statement as an expression of friendship that in case of aggression against Nepal, India would send help if such help was ever sought. It would never be taken as suggesting that India could take unilateral action. Is there any apprehension of danger from any quarter? The answer is definitely no. We are at peace with everybody and we don't apprehend any danger from any quarter."

B. P. Koirala used to ask: what is nationalism without people. We have suffered and lives through the tricks of those who seem anti- national in those who differ with them.

The B.P. Koirala Foundation

Prime Minister G. P. Koirala and the Indian Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao, jointly inaugurated B.P. Koirala Nepal India Foundation at a function held at the Nepal Academy Kathmandu. The objective of the Foundation was to promote Nepal-India co-operation in the fields of culture, education, science and technology.

Foreign Aid

Regarding the foreign aid, he stressed, "During the past two decades, an economic class, which is not dependent on the state of the national economy, and is neither capitalist nor feudal, has emerged in Nepal. The feudal class depends on the economic condition and prosperity of the villages; if the economic condition of the villages  improves, it will get a share from it. The capitalist class, on its part, takes interest in the development of capital, that is , it takes interest in such matters as market development and urban development."

"But this nouveau riche class has no roots here. People belonging to this class have become prosperous only because of foreign aid. A major portion of foreign aid goes into their pockets. They have become prosperous through such activities as corruption, destruction of forests, smuggling and illegal trade. This class is now in the center-piece of our politics today"

The statement of the people's leader, late B.P. Koirala, quoted above should become the directive principle of the present government. Any slogan of national development will prove meaningless so long as the hold of the economic class referred to by B.P. Koirala on the government and the administration continues.

Foreign aid plays a prominent role in the development of each country. A very poor country like ours cannot take one step forward without foreign aid. It is, however, regrettable and unfortunate that there has been no development in Nepal in the proportion to the volume of foreign assistance that is pouring into the country. Thus for the Nepalese, the talk about development through foreign aid has proved a mirage.

"I have a moral responsibility to the people who are inspired by my appeal of people's struggle for restoring democracy in Nepal. He made these remarks in the court while he was charged with number of allegations when he just returned from the political exile to India. He returned to Nepal taking into account his Concept of National Reconciliation."

I remember few days before his death, he said  with conviction to his political party workers , " After few days I will not be alive. You people don't fight with each other. Nepali Congress Party has such a long history that it will not loose its identity so easily"  These were the statement I personally heard in his brother's house Late Tarani Prasad Koirala at  Chabahil.

Today while commemorating his Anniversary it will be a great tribute to him if we rededicate our determination to Nationalism, Democracy and Socialism. Mr. B.P. Koirala's leadership qualities were also well appreciated outside Nepal and the support of the democratic world also can in for the movement.  Mr. Singh also participated in the Indian Independence Movement. During this period he came in contact with Indian leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Ram Manohar Lohia and Jaya Prakash Narayan. The Nepali Congress Party later merged with the Nepali Democratic Congress to form the present Nepali Congress which launched the 1950-51 movement to overthrow the Rana regime. Mr. Singh was one of its chief architect. After returning from a medical visit to the  United States in 1979-80, he had a series of audiences with King Birendra as he tried for a "national reconciliation". During the student demonstrations in 1979, he was under house arrest. However, he welcomed King Birendra’s call for national referendum on the question of political system for Nepal. The referendum results were announced to be in favor of retaining the political system led by the King. B. P. Koirala was the first leader to welcome the result of the national referendum and accepted the people verdict and claimed that the referendum was fair and free. However, owing to differences in the electoral process to seek membership of class organization as mandatory, Koirala demanded a boycott of the 1981 elections. Despite obviously failing health and political strength, Koirala could still draw a great popular support. After the death of Mr B.P. Koirala in 1982, the responsibility of keeping the flames of democracy burning in Nepal in Nepal fell solely on his shoulders. Singh. now the supreme leader of the party, together with the party's President Mr Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Mr. G. P, Koirala, younger brother of the late Mr. B.P. Koirala and the party General Secretary kept the democratic movement in Nepal alive.

On 27 May 1959, the Nepali Congress formed its government headed by B.P. Koirala, the man who had been the party's brightest figure since its inception. B.P. Koirala was youthful and daring. He was the most respected politician in Nepal. He had formidable revolutionary antecedents. His father, K.P. Koirala, who had been exiled to India by the Rana government for his revolutionary ideas, joined the Indian National Congress and died in prison. B.P. Koirala himself born in Benaras in 1915, was educated at Banaras and Calcutta. From the age of fourteen, he was imprisoned four times by the British government in India. He worked with Jaya Prakash Narayan in the 1942" Quit India " movement.

B.P. Koirala was a nationalist to the core. But his concept of Nepali nationalism was different from that adopted by fanatical ultra nationalists who claimed a special place for  Nepal in the world not on the basis of the bright future but on the glorious past.

B.P. Koirala was also an internationalist in outlook. He was an active member of Socialist International. He saw the destiny of Nepal in the larger context of political events happening on the Indian subcontinent and from the perspective of Afro-Asian nationalism on the world stage.

As regards the foreign aid, B.P. Koirala stressed " During the past two decades, an economic class, which is not dependent on the state of the national economy, and is neither capitalist nor feudal, has emerged in Nepal. The feudal class depends on the economic condition and prosperity of the villages; if the economic condition of the villages improves, it will get a share from it. The capitalist class, on its part, takes interest in the development of capital, that is, it takes interest in such matters as market development and urban development."

"But this nouveau riche class has no roots here. People belonging to this class have become prosperous only because of foreign aid. A major portion of foreign aid goes into their pockets. They have become prosperous through such activities as corruption, destruction of forests, and smuggling and illegal trade. This class is now in the centerpiece of our politics today"

The statement of the people's leader, late B.P. Koirala, quoted above should become the directive principle of the present government. Any slogan of national development will prove meaningless so long as the hold of the economic class referred to by B.P. Koirala on the government and the administration continues.

(Singh is General Manager of Nepal Stock Exchange. He can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

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