Sep 15, 2006

Even more than two decades after his death, B.P. Koirala is remembered as a legendary leader earning wide respect and regard

By KESHAB POUDEL

The more days are passing in Nepal , the more B.P. Koirala is gaining his height because of his well-prophesized political principles that still have familiar echo in the rough and tumble of today’s politics. As usual, all political leaders representing from extreme leftist to rightists paid respect to him on the occasion of his birth anniversary.

BP Koirala : Lasting impact

Although he was prime minister for a very short period of time, there are no leaders in current day Nepal to match him in terms of popularity. The more the country is facing challenges, the more he is being remembered for his foresight and judgments.

For two Nepali Congress parties and their leaders, B.P. Koirala’s statues and portraits have become more important than the ideology of national reconciliation propounded by him. Although both the parties have already deviated from B.P.’s own ideology of national reconciliation, his portraits still adorn their party offices and continue to lure workers.

Divided without any political difference, two Nepali Congress parties celebrated B.P Koirala’s birth anniversary vowing to the workers and common Nepali that they are genuine followers of B.P.

“I am following the way shown by B.P. Koirala. I have been following the national reconciliation propounded by him. That is still important,” said prime minister and BP’s younger brother Girija Prasad Koirala.

Unlike B.P. Koirala, who consistently stood for reconciliation with the monarchy, junior Koirala is leading communist-dominated alliance watching helplessly the efforts made to humiliate the traditional institution of monarchy.

“B.P. Koirala is remembered for his judgment and his emergence in Nepalese politics as a theoretician, activist and humanist. Embedded into one made him a unique personality. In the formation of his personality, the contemporary major political trends have their impacts,” said an analyst. “He grew under Gandhian impact in the initial days when he was young. Later on, in his student days, he was influenced by the revolution of Russia . As he has inquisitive mind and habit of reading history and philosophy, he synthesized his political views as a social democrat and he remained a social democrat all his life.”

PM Koirala : Whither 'reconcilation'

At a time when his party colleagues and followers are harping a new version of Loktantra or democracy, he had his own interpretation of that idea of democracy as a universal liberal political system. “I have no new model for democracy in my mind. No new model but a model for others to watch and imitate. I have dreams for my country – one of them is to present to the world how a democracy is to run. The basic elements of democracy are – 1. the principle of elections, 2. which to be meaningful, will have to accept the principle of multi-party, 3. which again means the principle of all the democratic and civil rights to be made available to the people,? 4. the principle of the primacy of a popularly elected body to which the government is responsible, 5. the principle of equality before law, 6. the principle of independent judiciary etc, etc. Any system, by whatever names you call it, is democratic if it incorporates these elements in its basic structure,” said Koirala in his interview to National Star fortnightly in July 1979 answering about his model of democracy.

Though he was internationalist in his general outlook his politics was deeply rooted in national situation. His attachment for the nation was based upon sound philosophy and deep emotion. B.P. used to illustrate the animal instinct for the attachment with the land one resides in.

From left to right, Koirala is now a legendary figure. “Koirala was a great leader of this century as his ideals of social democracy is most suitable for Nepal ,” said CPN-UML leader Pradeep Nepal . Former prime minister Surya Bahadur Thapa sees B.P. Koirala as a leader with moral guts and strong political will power.

The sentimental attachment of common people with the nation got truly reflected in his political judgment whether he was in power, prison or exile. As a prime minister, his assessment for the independence of judgment was historic one while disagreeing with the Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the matter of national security.

“ 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,” said Koirala who was reacting to the statement of 27 November 1959 by Indian prime minister Nehru. Indian prime minister Nehru had then said, “May I just repeat what we have declared that any aggression on Bhutan or Nepal will be considered by us aggression on India .”

“I don’t know about the international status of Bhutan and its relations with India . But Nepal is an independent sovereign nation and there can never be any doubt with regard to this fact. No one need ever have any doubt about our sovereignty and independence,” BP Koirala had reacted to Nehru’s remarks.

His reaction prompted Indian prime minister Nehru to correct his original claim as a guarantor of Nepal ’s security.

Nehru, through his statement on December 3, 1959, said, “I think what the prime minister of Nepal Mr. B.P. Koirala has said is completely correct.”

Though he was a prime minister for a very short time, B.P. Koirala had vision to infuse the democratic contents in the foreign policy. “Perhaps it was this episode also which culminated into the removal of B. P. from the power and having to suffer prolonged detention of eight years. But Koirala did not follow the confrontational course as followed by then Sheikh Abdullah of Kashmir despite many such instigations,” said the political analyst. “Instead of succumbing to Sikkimization, he risked his life and safety to return back to Nepal with a unilateral call of national reconciliation. Though he was put into the detention under Kafkaesque, he was much relaxed the day he returned from his exile on 30 December 1976.”

Although Koirala was charged under several counts of cases with demands being raised for death penalty, he felt relaxed and relieved to return to his home country. He recorded his mental relieve in his recently published jail diary “Again Sudarijal.”

“I felt relieved and relaxed today,” BP writes on his return from exile in India where he said he was held hostage by Indira Gandhi’s deceit and double standard.

Koirala’s return from exile changed the political equation. “After his arrival from exile, the political pressure was shifted from Koirala to King Birendra. Enough of facts are yet to come to public knowledge but King Birendra, who was known as a despot, was very considerate. In the word of B.P Koirala King Birendra “a well meaning person” was handicapped by his own seen and unseen networks,” said the analyst. “That despotism was imposed upon that well meaning person. Ultimately, B.P. was superb in understanding King Birendra which was proved by the role of King Birendra, who preferred to face any consequence in upholding the commitment he made in the last – at latter stage. His assassination was shrouded in mystery but not difficult to apprehend,” said the analyst.

During his last days, B.P. Koirala, after the reversal in national referendum in 1980, was in conflict of interest. His commitment for independence of the country was so strong that he preferred to call himself closer with the King in issues of national interest. Therefore, he had not gone in confrontation with the King but his abhorrence of the undemocratic structure of Panchayat system was such that he vowed not to bend in its support. There was a popular statement from him that “no confrontation with the King and no surrender to the Panchayat autocracy.”

Because of Koirala’s own judgment and stand, the conspiracies - which were beyond the control of King and Koirala - failed in its attempt to put them in collision and thus dictate terms to Nepal . B.P. died as a relaxed and fulfilled person having no regret for his past. B.P. was an optimistic politician and this optimism was his greatest strength.

“You see, Bhola, I am not a pessimist. If we have to exist as a nation, if we have some role to play in this part of the world, this is the line and there is not any other line. So I don’t have any alternative to the present line in my mind,” said B.P. Koirala answering a question of Indian journalist Bhola Chatterjee who had asked - If what you say, that is, reconciliation between the Palace and democratic force does not take place, what do you propose to do?

Koirala lived an exemplary life of a patriot and confirmed democrat. The legacy of Koirala is not a monopoly of any person, family or groups but it is shared commonly as a national inheritance by all. “B.P. is being remembered more and more since he departed from us. For ages to come, he will have impact upon ideas and actions of upright and honest persons of the country. How many politicians of present time will be remembered after twenty five years for what contribution? This question has no answered at present,” said the analyst.