Girija Prasad Koirala dead

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 20 March: Five-time Prime Minister and three-time president of Nepali Congress Girija Prasad Koirala, 85, died Saturday at 12.10 in the afternoon .
He never regained consciousness after he went into a coma at five in the morning at the residence of his daughter Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirtala at Mandikatar.
Girija was born in a town in the Indian state of Bihar across his hometown Biratnagar.
His father Krishna Prasad Koirala had gone into self-exile during the Rana regime.
Girija was born 1925.
He was the youngest of three sons of Krishna Prasada who became prime ministers; the first was Matrika and the second was BP Koirala, Nepal’s first elected prime minister after the fall of the Rana regime.
An emergency meeting of Nepali Congress decided to put his body for public viewing at Dashrath Ranghashala from eight in the morning.
A funeral process will begin at two in the afternoon and his body will be cremated with state honours at Pashupatinath Aryaghat.
The government announced a public holiday Sunday and a three-day state mourning for a transitional head of state after the declaration of a republic and a former prime minister.
Thousands of people, including President Dr Ram Baran Yadav visited Mandikatar and paid their last respects.
Koirala’s body will be placed for public viewing from eight in the morning t the Rangashala Sunday.
Koirala was released from hospital Wednesday after blood transfusion.
A heavy smoker, he suffered obstructive pulmonary edema.
He dominated Nepali politics in and out of government since he became prime minister for the first time on 29 May 1991 following the country’s frist multi-party elections after the collapse of the partyless panchayat.
He spent seven years in jail during opposition politics and waa involved in the hijacking of a Royal Nepal Airlines aircraft from Biratnagar to Jogbani across in the border in Bihar during his anti-panchayat politics during 12 years in self-exile.
The hijacking of the aircraft with money of Nepal Rashtra Bank was the only incident involving a national carrier.
Giraja confessed he was involved in printing of illegal Indian currency notes during his self-exile to topple panchayat rule.
He was considered an organizer in the party.
The Madhav Kumar Nepal government decided to nominate his name for the Nobel Peace Prize for what the government called his contribution to the peace process by attempting to bring Maoists into the peace process.
Girija attempted to influence national politics even until his dying days by being coordinator of the controversial high-level political mechanism of which Maoist Chairman Prachanda and UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal were members,
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal was only an invited member who avoided the mechanism’s meetings.
The mechanism’s declared intention was to pus the delayed peace process and the drafting of a constitution by the 28 May deadline.
Giraja, amid charges of nepotism, pushed PM Nepal to appoint his daughter Sujata deputy prime minister.
Girija called mid-term elections in 1993 and lost the vote to UML which emerged as the largest political party to form the first elected communist government in the world even as communist regimes collapsed in the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe.
Communists emerged at Nepal’s main political force.
In the 2008 April constituent assembly and parliamentary elections, Maoists emerged as the biggest party replacing the Nepali Congress.
Congress until then was the dominant party in Nepal.
Political party leaders, including Maoists, said Girija left behind an unfulilled mission and job in their condolence messages.
Former King Gyanendra also condoled Girija’s death.
Girija took complete hold of the Nepali Congress even forcing supreme Ganesh Man Singh to resign from the party.
Collective leadership with President Krishna Prasad Bhattarai was smashed.
Bhattarai, the only surviving founder of Nepali Congress, resigned when Girija abandoned the party’s traditional support for constitutional monarchy and declared the nation a republic.
The party was previously ruin by a trio of BP Koirala, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Ganesh Man Singh.
Girija colluded with foreign powers, including India, to topple the 238-year Shah dynasty and establish a republic following the announcement of direct royal rule by King Gyanendra in February 2005.
He forged an alliance with eight political parties with foreign help to topple monarchy.
But his ambitions to become the first president never materialized after Dr Ra, Baran Yadav from the same party was elected.
Maoists withdrew support at the last moment he would create a parallel power center around a ceremonial president.
By his own admission, he said he took a ‘gamble’ to bring Maoists into the political mainstream.
Nepal is in shambles.
He went to India to negotiate a 12-point comprehensive peace agreement with Maoists on the government, Indian and American terrorist list on the pretext of medical treatment.
He held secret discussions with Chairman Prachanda in New Delhi’s outskirts Noida—a discussion which couldn’t he held without Indian government concurrence, according to political aide and former home minister Krishna Prasad Shitaula during the transition after declaration of a republic.
After the declaration of a republic by an unelected and self-appointed parliament, a republic has yet to be formalized by the drafting of a constitution and sustained.
It’s unlikely a republican constitution will be announced by the 28 May deadline even after the successful Janandolan of 2006 of which Girija was supreme commander.
An intense power struggle between Acting President Sushil Koirala, Parliamentary Party Leader Ram Chandra Paudel and Sher Bahadur Deuba will start in the second largest party after Koiala’s death.
The future of daughter Sujata, who is deputy prime minister and foreign minister, is uncertain with the death of a protector.
Koirala invited direct foreign intervention in Nepali politics by signing a vague 12-point peace agreement with Maoists in New Delhi; the agreement was drafted in Hindi.
The agreement is subject of various interpretations.
Koirala has unleashed uncertainly, instability and even the survival of Nepal is at stake.
There are now demands for a federal structure and cessation in the north and south.
He agreed to a federal structure and regional demands when he was prime minister but then renegaded.
Corruption was its zenith when he was prime minister.
He defied the CIAA and the supreme court and refused in investigation of the Dhamija and Lauda cases.
Corruption was rife in his rule.
He signed a controversial Tanakpur water deal with India conceding water rights on Mahakali river declared unconstitutional by the supreme court.
Girija toppled two governments of his own party four times—governments led by Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Sher Bahadur Deuba.
He also conspired to bring other governments after 1991 leading to political instability and ultimately the declaration of direct rule by King Gyanendra.
Deuba took on Koirala when is government was toppled leading to the split in Nepali Congress –a division that hasn’t yet been put together.
A tussle for leadership in the party will start immediately amid demands for a call for a general convention meeting.
By how own admission, Girija said he took a ‘gamble’ to bring Maoists into the political mainstream—nobody gave his that mandate.
He imposed his will on the party without debate and discussion, including the declaration of a republic.
But was he grew inform, he was challenged in the party.
Even the formation of the high-level political mechanism without discussion in the party came under criticism.
Girija started his political career by participating in the Biratnagar jute mill labourers’ in strike in 1947 and for the fist time because the party’s central committee member in 1958.
Foreign interference in Nepal’s internal affairs peaked during his rule after April 2006 when monarchy and King Gyanendra were toppled.
Foreigners had direct access to his bedroom at Baluwatar where decisions were made privately.
Girija abused and destroyed democracy for which he said he fought.
“Parliamentary democracy was the biggest suffer,” said an analyst.
The nation’s future is bleak with Maoist threatening a communist take over and cessation in the terai amid demands for federalism on ethnic lines.
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