1951 Nepalese revolution

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1951 Nepalese Revolution
Part of the
King Tribhuvan
Date6 November 1950 —18 Feb 1951
Location
Kingdom of Nepal
Result

The establishment of democracy

Belligerents
Rana dynasty Nepali Congress
Commanders and leaders
Mohan Shumsher
 Nepali Congress leader
Casualties and losses
Military dead:
1600		 Military dead:
900
Part of a series on the
History of Nepal
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Ancient
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  • Licchavi Kingdom
    , c. 400 – c. 750 CE
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    , c. 954 CE – 14th century
  • Karnat dynasty
    , c. 1097 CE – c. 1324 CE
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    , c. 1201 – 1482
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    c. 1380 CE – 1795 CE
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The revolution of 1951 (Nepali: सात सालको क्रान्ति, romanized: Sāta Sālako Krānti) in Nepal, also referred to as Sat Salko Kranti, was a political movement against the direct rule by the Rana dynasty of Nepal which had lasted for 104 years. It marks the beginning of the political awakening and democratic movements in Nepal, and resulted in immediate abolition of the institutionalized hereditary Prime Minister system in Nepal.

Background of Rana regime

The rise of the Ranas was heightened by plotting the Kot massacre by Jung Bahadur Rana and his brothers gained power, thus reduced the power of Nepalese monarch to a figurehead, and the position of Prime Minister was made powerful and hereditary. The Rana regime pursued a policy of isolating Nepal from external influences. The Ranas further established their power by turning pro-British, and assisted the British during the Sepoy Rebellion in 1857.

Organization for revolution

Popular dissatisfaction with the Ranas began to surface among educated individuals, including many from within the Rana ruling class who supported more democratic views. Some Nepalese who had participated in the

Nepali Rastriya Congress
were formed in exile by people who wanted to stage both military and popular political revolutions in Nepal.

Uprisings and incidents

Nepal Praja Parishad

The founding of the Nepal Praja Parishad was proposed by

Ganga Lal Shrestha, and Dashrath Chand
, who are now recognized as the martyrs of Nepal. Many others were sentenced to jail and many were exiled. Thus Nepal Praja Parishad was dissolved in January 1941.

National congress

On January 26, 1947, the Nepali National Congress was formed in India under the leadership of

Biratnagar jute mill strike, supporting the strikers[3]: 61  and demanded a Political labour union. To suppress the strike the Rana regime sent the state troops over the long and difficult mountain trail to Biratnagar. The strike continued until the troops reached Biratnagar and arrested the leaders. Nepali National congress held a delegates' conference at Jogbani, India
and resolved to initiate a nationwide 'satyagraha' (civil disobedience movement on the Indian model) and thus countrywide anti-Rana demonstration started.

Jayatu Sanskritam

In June 1947, students enrolled in the Tin Dhara school launched the

B.P. Koirala and other leaders.[4][5][6][7]

King Tribhuvan's exile

King Tribhuvan

Jawahar Lal Nehru and other high officials. Appointment of the new king led to huge demonstrations throughout the country. On November 22, 1950, Jawahar Lal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India, officially announced that India was not going to recognize Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah
as the legitimate king of Nepal.

Nepali Congress's Liberation Army

Main article: Nepali Congress's Liberation Army

After King Tribhuvan fled to the Indian embassy, the

Nepali Congress Party launched a military wing called Congress Mukti Sena, also known as Nepali Congress's Liberation Army, and started an armed uprising against the Rana rule .[9] The Congress Mukti Sena controlled significant places in the plains of Terai, but held little power in the political capital, Kathmandu
.

Delhi Accord

Main article: Delhi Accord

After a mutual agreement between Ranas, Nepali Congress and King Tribhuvan, a tripartite agreement was signed in Delhi. Finally, On February 18, 1951 (7th Falgun 2007 B.S.), King Tribhuvan returned to Nepal as head of state. The major provisions of the Delhi Accord (Agreement) are as follows:

  • An elected constituent assembly will create a democratic constitution within 2 years.
  • There will remain an interim cabinet (government) of 10 ministers under the Prime Ministership of
    Mohan Shumsher
    , of which 5 ministerial positions will be taken by the Nepali Congress.
  • There will be no restriction to
    political organizations
    . All the political prisoners will be set free and agitators have to hand over all their weapons to the government.
  • King Tribhuvan will remain the king of Nepal and ultimate power lies in the monarch.

Formation of the Coalition Government

Main article: Mohan SJB Rana cabinet, 1951

On 15 February 1951, King Tribhuvan and the leading members of the Nepali Congress returned to

Mohan Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana
, and split among the Ranas and the Nepali Congress Party. The followings were the members of the Cabinet.

From the Ranas:

From the Nepali Congress side:

This cabinet was reshuffled on 10 June 1951 to replace Baber Shamsher by Shangha Shamsher and Bharatmani Sharma by Surya Prasad Upadhyaya

Aftermath

The coalition was a mixture of conservative Ranas, who were trying to hold on to as much political power as possible, and radical reformers, who had almost no administrative experience. It was able to enact a new constitution entitled the Interim Government of Nepal Act 1951, drafted with the help of Indian experts and was in many ways inspired by the Constitution of India. This interim government was able to set up a separate judicial branch and importantly transfer all executive powers back to the king, including supreme command of the armed forces and power to appoint government officials and manage finances. Later, the entire bloc of Nepali Congress Party ministers resigned in November, which allowed the king to appoint a new government for the first time since the nineteenth century. The king used the opportunity to exclude for good the conservative Rana power bloc. A royal proclamation on November 16, 1951, established a new government led by Matrika Prasad (M.P.) Koirala, the half-brother of B.P. Koirala, who had run the Nepali Congress Party during the revolutionary struggle.

See also

References

  1. ISBN 9780415085762
  2. ^ Asha, S.P. Hami Le Prajatantra Kasari Lyayau. Kathmandu: Sanhila Prakashan.
  3. ^ a b Bhuwan Lal Joshi; Leo E. Rose (1966). Democratic Innovations in Nepal: A Case Study of Political Acculturation. University of California Press. GGKEY:5N30S3HU9BC.
  4. ^ Samiti, Rastriya Samachar (15 June 2017). "Jayatu Sanskritam marked". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  5. ^ Samiti, Rastriya Samachar (15 June 2017). "Jayatu Sanskritam marked". myRepublica. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  6. ISBN 9780295743097
    . Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  7. ^ Adhikari, Radheshyam (30 June 2017). "Shuttered schools | From the Nepali Press | Nepali Times". archive.nepalitimes.com. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  8. ^ cheena (23 June 2009). "Nepal". cheena-nepal.blogspot.com.
  9. ISBN 978-1-134-88533-6
    .
  10. ^ "Nepali Congress".
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