Early life and education:
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, was born on December 11, 1954, in Pokhara, Nepal. He received a diploma in agriculture from the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science in Rampur, Chitwan.
Political career:
Dahal became involved in left-wing politics in his youth and joined the Communist Party of Nepal (Fourth Convention) in 1981. He later became the general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) in 1989, and later the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). Dahal led the party during Nepal’s civil war from 1996 to 2006 and served as the leader of the party’s military wing.
After the war ended, Dahal played a vital role in the peace process and was elected leader of the first Nepalese constituent assembly in 2008. In the same year, his party, the CPN(M), emerged as the largest party in elections and Dahal became Prime Minister in August. However, he resigned in May 2009 after a dispute with the President, who opposed Dahal’s attempt to dismiss the army chief.
Dahal was sworn in as Prime Minister for the second time in August 2016 as part of an agreement to form a rotational government with the Congress party and the CPN (Maoist Centre). He resigned from the position in May 2017 but was re-elected as Prime Minister in 2022 with the support of a coalition of parties including the CPN (UML), Rastriya Swatantra Party, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party.
Contributions:
Dahal is known for his involvement in the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist), which he led during the country’s civil war and the peace process. The party was founded in 1994 as the Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal), and later became the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). Dahal served as the party’s general secretary and led the party’s military wing during the civil war.
After the war ended in 2006, Dahal played a vital role in the peace process and was elected leader of the first Nepalese constituent assembly in 2008. He served as Prime Minister from 2008 to 2009, and again from 2016 to 2017.
Controversies:
During his political career, Dahal has been involved in several controversies. In 2009, he resigned as Prime Minister after a dispute with the President over the dismissal of the army chief. In 2016, he was accused of corruption and abuse of power during his first term as Prime Minister. However, these allegations have not been proven, and Dahal has denied any wrongdoing.
Despite these controversies, Dahal has remained a popular and influential figure in Nepalese politics. He has been praised for his efforts to bring about peace and stability in Nepal, and for improving relations with India and China.