Nepali Times
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Girijababu gone


KUNDA DIXIT


Girija Prasad Koirala, freedom fighter, five-time prime minister and the architect of Nepal's peace process, has died at age 86 at the home of his daughter and deputy prime minister, Sujata Koirala. He had been suffering from severe respiratory disease for the past few years, but his condition suddenly deteriorated last Sunday.

Throughout his rollercoaster career, Koirala proved himself to be a wily politician and a tenacious defender of democracy who stood up to authoritarians on both the left and right of Nepal's political spectrum. But the Nepali Congress president was also considered a manipulative leader who sidelined all rivals within his party and, paradoxically, was blamed for the erosion of the gains of the 1990 Jana Andolan. The political disarray of the 1990s was also seen as one of the reasons the Maoists rose up to take up arms against the state.

Perhaps Koirala's two most notable actions were to stand up to King Gyanendra after his creeping coup in 2002, and to get the parliamentary parties to sign the 12-point agreement with the Maoists in 2005 in New Delhi. While the UML and even the Deuba faction of the NC joined the royal government after 2002, Koirala was firmly against compromising with the king. "I can agree with anyone, but I will compromise with no one on democracy," Koirala declared in 2005. He was initially in favour of retaining a constitutional monarchy, and was the strongest proponent of the 'baby king' proposal to put Gyanendra's grandson Hridayendra on the throne. But by end 2007, even this position became untenable.

The 12-point agreement with the Maoists was a path-breaking deal that paved the way for the April 2006 uprising and the brought the rebels out into the streets in peaceful protests that achieved what a decade of war and the death of 16,000 Nepalis could not. Koirala took it upon himself to ensure that the Maoists abandoned violence and joined peaceful mainstream politics, and he worked ceaselessly to this end. Even though he was accused by many within his party of giving too much ground to the Maoists after 2006, and criticised for allying with Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal in the last few months of his life so his daughter Sujata could become prime minister, Koirala used to say privately he was just trying to make sure the Maoists didn't go back to the jungle.

As a young man, Girija Prasad Koirala was always in the shadow of his charismatic brother, BP. Even BP wasn't impressed with his younger brother, preferring niece Shailaja Acharya as his successor. He barely mentions him in his biography Atmabritanta, only going as far as calling him a good 'hawaldar', a footsoldier, who nonetheless played a role in the NC's armed struggle against the Ranas.

After King Mahendra's 1960 coup, Koirala was involved in the NC's brief tryst with armed struggle against the absolute monarchy. His organisational skills served him well as he flitted back and forth across the Nepal-India border to procure weapons, and he was involved in the hijacking of a Royal Nepal Airlines flight ferrying cash from Biratnagar to Kathmandu. Koirala even admitted in a TV interview to having printed counterfeit Indian currency at the time.

Given this history of involvement in armed struggle, Koirala said in another interview last year, he felt he understood better where the Maoists came from and why it was so difficult for them to give up a culture of violence and intimidation. But for someone who devoted his life to the struggle for democracy, the biggest tragedy for the country was that Koirala couldn't rise above petty partisan politics and the promotion of his family after 1990. The NC was in power for ten of the twelve years between 1990 and 2002 and Koirala was prime minister for many of those years. Yet his leadership was marred by corruption scandals involving the leasing of jets by the national airline and allegations of nepotism. He surrounded himself with questionable advisers, and many of those he relied on became bitter rivals. Most said they were turned off by his autocratic style. Koirala recognised this, and once said: "I can take care of my enemies, but god save me from my friends."

After the peace process and the Maoist electoral victory of 2008, Koirala was assured by Dahal that he would be the first president of the new republic. But Dahal doublecrossed Koirala by promoting Ram Raja Prasad Singh as his party's candidate, and when he couldn't muster the votes Koirala's own colleague from the NC, Ram Baran Yadav, became president. Koirala was privately very bitter about this turn of events. Never one to give up, he tried till the very end to ensure a political comeback either for himself or for his daughter, even if it meant aligning with his former arch enemies, the Maoists.

It was such short-sighted manipulations that will mean Koirala will be remembered less as a great leader than as a political boss, despite Indian Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh's labelling him "one of Asia's greatest statesmen" in 2006.

In the coming weeks, the media will be flush with speculation as to what will happen following Koirala's death, which was long expected. With such an influential yet divisive player gone, some will be hoping the Grand Old Party will present a more united front and return to its social-democratic ideals. This may be premature, given the kangresi penchant for infighting. But there is a chance the passing of the strongman will encourage consensus politics within the Nepali Congress, and allow it to redefine itself as the party of the people rather than a clan-based political entity.

Girija Prasad Koirala's body will lie in at the Nepali Congress party headquarters in Sanepa, then the National Stadium tomorrow. The funeral will take place in the afternoon.


1. srinkhala
no more "ma bhanchhu!"... kinda sad ...


2. B Real
My condolance to the Koirala's family but its not a loss to the Nation..


3. ripvanwinkle
i feel like to celebrate, feel like to burn some tyres, vandalize some govt. vehicals destroy some shops, man do i feel great. great loss for first dotter and son amazing stroke of luck for nepal. i was thinking will never die.

4. Anish Dixit
I love your article kunda dai...I agree with B Real...his demise is not a loss to  the Nation

5. Baneshwor
The legacy that Koirala left behind was one of nepotism, corruption, political infighting, the Maoist rebellion, erosion of the credibility of the political parties and leaders, stagnant economy. His demise is in no way a loss to the country. But my condolences to his family. 

6. Salil P
He was a wily politician who influenced Nepali Politics like no other in the last 20 years. While politics remained his strength, he undid many of his achievements for love of  nepotism and at times involvement with petty corruption.

He was an influential leader but his shortcomings never allowed him to be atop the hearts of the Nepali people. Nevertheless, there is no denying the fact that he was the architect of the peace deal.

If he had shown restraint of his undying love for his daughter, he would have been saved from a lot of political rancour. GPK was not a much-loved man, albeit he was admired by people in certain circles.

Love for his daughter and his penchant for nepotism comes on his way as a hurdle for him to be labelled as a great leader.

Politics in Nepal in the last two decades is absolutely unimaginable without him. Love him or hate him, you can not ignore him !!!

PS Hridayendra is the grandson of Gyanendra and not Birendra as has been mentioned in this article.


7. kabulekanchho
Please accept my deep condolences on sad and untimely (what a cruel joke is this?) demise of Girija bau. I feel extremely sorry for Sujata and Prachande who have now become orphans at this tender age of their political life. The void left by this colossus (in true physical sense as the Baje was more than 6 ft tall) will be very difficult to fill; yet all ******** of Nepali public life will fight to finish to fill it. Little Baje Prachande had already staked his claim two days back saying that Girjabau had told him to take care of the country when he visited the older Baje at the hospital. It is another matter there was no one to witness almost vegetative Senior Baje saying any thing to this little & luchcho Baje! There will be more claimants to Girjau's position with more bizarre claims in days to come. Nepali political scene will be very interesting spectacle to watch, of course from a safe distance.
Though one wicket down, there are close to a dozen or so Upadhryahas and Upadhyays making mischief and turning Nepal into a never ending third rate sit-com l. I do not know how long our unfortunate compatriots will have to endure this never ending Gaijatra.
May Lord of the Beasts provide him with eternal peace in his after life!


8. Shree Shrestha
Hopefully, Girija's death will bring some good in Nepali Politics.He was instrumental in bringing down Monarchy so that he could be the President of Nepal. He tried to kill King Mahendra first by throwing bomb at King's Landrover in Janakpur. He took the leaders like BP Koirala, Ganeshman Sing, KP Bhattarai and others to mud. He is self serving bastard. He printed fake Indian Currency, He hijacked Royal Nepal Airlines to steal the money from Nepal Rastra Bank.
When King Birendra was killed Girija was the Primeminister and he didn't even ordered autopsy to find out how he died. Now Nepal governmnet is putting his body in public display before a grand funeral procession. What a shame.
People can blame Maoists for destructions in Nepal. But that's nothing compared to what Girija did to Nepal. He basically raped our beautiful motherland.


9. Dharane
G P Koirala became Prime Minister five times. Correct the fact.


10. Pramod Bhagat
my deep condolence for the demise of GPK. few people are so senseless and emotionless no word is sufficient for explanation of their foolishness. please try to be sensible and speak according to the time and place. you will know his importance only if u put urself in his shoes. making tall claims is the easiest thing to do. i just want to ask how many of u have ever rose to the occasion. not even a single time so please keep your mouth shut. wait for sm time and then do wht u do the best, praise the winner. 


11. kaji
I hope this marks the end of family control over Nepalese politics ( Ranas ,Kings and finally koirala). I hope now leaders rise on their own merits and not on the shadows/shooulders of their kins. RIP GPK.

12. www.NepaliEconomy.com

Condolence to the Koirala family.

BP Koirala was right! His brother GPK was a "hawaldar" NOT a "general." He displayed 3 key characteristics of a hawaldar.

* Hawaldars are good at tactics NOT strategy. Since 1990 Jana Andolan, GPK pursued "tactical" moves to keep his opponents off-balance and become the PM no less than 4 times (1991, 1998, 2000, 2006). He did not give thoughts to how his tactics fit into the long-term strategy of making (a) NC, the "permanent majority" party (b) Nepal, a vibrant democracy where both government and bureaucracy were efficient and uncorrupted, and together delivered economic dividends to the people.

* Hawaldars think of the "spoils of war". We know how GPK's family and cronies mis-used the State's assets while in power.

* Hawaldars display great personal courage. GPK was a "bahadur" compared to his peers especially the Maoist supreme Puspa Kamal Dahal, who has probably never fired a gun.

If the definition of success is "to leave the world behind better than you found it" then GPK's "political life" may not be considered a success.



13. Nepal Hill, Singapore
GPK was a self-serving neta of NC. He was not a leader of the nation. Forces of history gave this minor actor some large parts to play. He could not rise above petty interests. In his four-term PMship, he politicized and destroyed just about every democratic institution that should have held its own. He leaves behind a weaker, fractured nation with much weaker, politicized, broken and confused institutions. That his party has no other leader to be a capable successor speaks volumes about his divide-and-rule netagiri. I do not mourn his loss. I mourn the loss of democratic practices of being accountable to Nepalese people which he started and accelerated. He danced on martyrs' blood. May his soul have a very hard time resting in peace. 

14. mero
"Chapter 1" of "Naya Nepal"
"Chapter 2" of "Naya Nepal": ?


15. Roshan
Glad that GP Koirala of Nepal has died. Even though he defended democracy, it's good to close a chapter on incompetence, nepotism & corruption. By the way, I come from a family that has for decades supported his party. I still subscribe to their ideology but not their incompetence, apathy and willful disregard to people's aspirations.


16. prashant sharma
personally feel nothing, politically we will see some new change. overall feel nothing on his demise


17. durodhan Singh Kurmi
A Good riddance of bad rubbish!

18. PD
I hope that this is a new beginning for Nepal. Everything ends and so has Girija's terrible grip on Nepal. Girija is one of the worst rulers in Nepali history and not a statesman, as the politicians are claiming.

Girija is a major reason for the horrible condition Nepal is in now. Before his power in 1990, Nepal was a peaceful country. You could go anywhere in Nepal and feel safe and enjoy the Nepali hospitality. He completely disregarded everyone's opinion. He wanted to replace "Shah dynasty" with "Koirala dynasty". After 2008 general election, he lobbied the losers - like his daughter and Madhav Kumar Nepal - to lead the government. This was a total joke to all of us voters. Compare John McCain ruling as the President of the US and Obama becoming an opponent. Could you imagine that? He let corrupt people like Khum Bahadur Khadka, Chiranjibi Wagle, Bijay Kumar Gachhedar, Govinda Raj Josh, his own daughter Sujata and many Congress leaders to loot the country under him. He converted Nepali congress to a party led by cheaters and ghusyaas.

However, history will call Girija a failed politician who wasted a tremendous opportunity to transform Nepal. China and India have become world economic powers since 1990, which is when Girija took over Nepal. Unfortunately, we have mostly destroyed what we had rather than rise.

It is a relief for us Nepalese that Girija is gone. May the vestiges of his power including his daughter and his Koirala family and cronies go away from Nepali politics. May this also be a reminder to all corrupt in Nepal that you will die one day. It is your choice - after death, do you want people to praise you as having made positive efforts to Nepal, or do you want to be criticized and remembered in history as a destroyer, which is how Girija will be remembered!


19. Kamal
Prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala died !
Do not get surprise with the title of the post, but its the very sad moment for all of us Nepalese to know that our Prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala is dead. He was highly appreciated and appraised by Nepalese for his initiative to bring Maoists to main stream politics stopping the 11 years long civil war throughout the country. He was considered as the leader of Democratic Movement II and was a great politician and served the nation many times as prime minister.

He started his political career as assisting his elder brother Biseshwor Prasad Koirala. He himself expressed on his biography, publishes on Nepal Weekly every Sunday, his career grew with all of the forbidden actions, he was not supposed to do. He duplicated Indian Currency note by his own hands. He was on regular communication with RAW and other intelligent services of India and accepted their feedback for his political growth. He hijacked a Nepalese plane carrying money of central bank of Nepal. He also attempted to smuggler Gold on a car and other similar commodities. He tried to adopt all of the actions he could find worth for his political and money making process but his elder brother blocked him for doing so. He could not do as much as he wanted. Girija was bit unsatisfied with his brother since he stopped him for smuggling. In fact, that day he started to die when the thought of smuggling came to his mind. He was dieing every moment and each day by day after each attempt of smuggling.

After democratic movement of 1990, he died once again by betraying his own friend Krishna Prasad Bhattarai on election. He died many times during his tenure as prime minister. Lauda Kanda was one of the major heart attack to him. He betrayed Nepalese people and made a major corruption and bribery attempt to lease Air Lauda and succeed it shamelessly. Dhamija Kanda was another major heart attack to him. He once again made a major bribery with the help of his dearest daughter Sujata Koirala and German son-in-law. He is a brave man and stood very strong and courageous even after major two heart attack and several stages of dieing. He rewarded Nepalese people with political instability, unemployment, financial liabilities and unjustified price hikes on every consumer products and substances.

He improved his health during Democratic Movement 2006 by initiative for peace process with Maoists and agreed them to play on main stream politics. His health was drastically improved during that period since his initiatives freed Nepalese people from autocratic ruling of King Gyanendra.

His health was regularly diminishing after each cancellation of the scheduled date of Constitutional Assembly. The major factor for his diminishing health was, he was directly or indirectly responsible himself for each cancellation. He could not control unhealthy practices of about 50 rebel groups in Terai areas. Neither he could maintain the situation of law and order nor took the moral responsibility of the deadly incidents and accidents happened during his period. He illogically protected Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula, who can travel to Baba Dham on his pilgrim any time he wanted but can not visit the houses of those widows whose husbands were murdered by his incapabilities to maintain the Law and Order. He could not find the corpse of Journalist Birendra Shah for a month. He is completely helpless even though he was still home minister and taken the oath to protect more than 25 million peoples. This Sitaula story paralyzed the entire right portion of the body of our Prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala. Political exposure of Chief of Army Rukmanga Datta Katuwal, clean chit for Khum Bahadur Khadka, public announcement of Laxam Aryal panel to protect King and impotency of Minister Ram Chandra Paudel on his work contributed together to paralyze the left portion of his body. Being paralyzed completely, he all time rested on bed with dead-alive body and tears on his eyes for his own past and actions. He knew that he was responsible for creating all these Sitaula, Aryal, Katuwal, Khadka and Paudel who ultimately paralyzed himself. This paralysis was bit interesting as well since he could not move his body to reward intellectuals and Ph.D. holders and sends the message of being sick to the organizers and same day he could attend a party and enjoy with cocktail dinner.

Third heart attack is always vital for health. Third attack was his own daughter Sujata Koirala. His daughter is well known for corruption on Susma Koirala Trust, involvement in Dhamija bribery and also heard to be responsible for Red Sandalwood (Rakta Chandan) smuggling. She enjoys very luxurious life by spending 100 thousands on each of her purse and bag though she does not have any legitimate income source of her own. She is the icon of inefficiency and impotency on her own name. Parents afraid to name their daughters as Sujata these days since they fear that they might follow the path of Mrs. Sujata Jost or Koirala. She took the advantage of his paralyzed father and convinced him to appoint her as Minister. Minister, without specific responsibility and with the power of ruling rest of the ministers. Nepal Weekly brought the fact on recent edition that she was given the power to obstacle the tasks of all of the ministries and Chief of Secretary was ordered to bring all of the issues to Government Cabinet only through Minister Sujata Koirala. This workload might have given some relief to our prime minister on his workload but same became headache and the cause of heart attack when she was back on her full swing on backing King immediately in the very next day of her appointment.

It taught and reminded him the fact that she is very unpopular and hatred ugly woman of Nepal, even within his own party. It caused him third attack on heart. He could not overcome this attack and died today morning. Today's protest, run for the whole day throughout the country against the yesterday's price hike on petroleum products, lead him to funeral and give pyre to his body with burning tires on the middle of the road.

May god bless him on the heavenly Hell !!



20. korean soju
condolence to suji didi...a good family man and a loving dad... but not a great leader..didi ... now count your days....

21. PD
I hope that this is a new beginning for Nepal. Everything ends and so has Girija's terrible grip on Nepal. Girija is one of the worst rulers in Nepali history and not a statesman, as the politicians are claiming.

Girija is a major reason for the horrible condition Nepal is in now. Before his power in 1990, Nepal was a peaceful country. You could go anywhere in Nepal and feel safe and enjoy the Nepali hospitality. He completely disregarded everyone's opinion. He wanted to replace "Shah dynasty" with "Koirala dynasty". After 2008 general election, he lobbied the losers - like his daughter and Madhav Kumar Nepal - to lead the government. This was a total joke to all of us voters. Compare John McCain ruling as the President of the US and Obama becoming an opponent. Could you imagine that? He let corrupt people like Khum Bahadur Khadka, Chiranjibi Wagle, Bijay Kumar Gachhedar, Govinda Raj Josh, his own daughter Sujata and many Congress leaders to loot the country under him. He converted Nepali congress to a party led by cheaters and ghusyaas.

However, history will call Girija a failed politician who wasted a tremendous opportunity to transform Nepal. China and India have become world economic powers since 1990, which is when Girija took over Nepal. Unfortunately, we have mostly destroyed what we had rather than rise.

It is a relief for us Nepalese that Girija is gone. May the vestiges of his power including his daughter and his Koirala family and cronies go away from Nepali politics. May this also be a reminder to all corrupt in Nepal that you will die one day. It is your choice - after death, do you want people to praise you as having made positive efforts to Nepal, or do you want to be criticized and remembered in history as a destroyer, which is how Girija will be remembered!


22. PD
I hope that this is a new beginning for Nepal. Everything ends and so has Girija's terrible grip on Nepal. Girija is one of the worst rulers in Nepali history and not a statesman, as the politicians are claiming.

Girija is a major reason for the horrible condition Nepal is in now. Before his power in 1990, Nepal was a peaceful country. You could go anywhere in Nepal and feel safe and enjoy the Nepali hospitality. He completely disregarded everyone's opinion. He wanted to replace "Shah dynasty" with "Koirala dynasty". After 2008 general election, he lobbied the losers - like his daughter and Madhav Kumar Nepal - to lead the government. This was a total joke to all of us voters. Compare John McCain ruling as the President of the US and Obama becoming an opponent. Could you imagine that? He let corrupt people like Khum Bahadur Khadka, Chiranjibi Wagle, Bijay Kumar Gachhedar, Govinda Raj Josh, his own daughter Sujata and many Congress leaders to loot the country under him. He converted Nepali congress to a party led by cheaters and ghusyaas.

However, history will call Girija a failed politician who wasted a tremendous opportunity to transform Nepal. China and India have become world economic powers since 1990, which is when Girija took over Nepal. Unfortunately, we have mostly destroyed what we had rather than rise.

It is a relief for us Nepalese that Girija is gone. May the vestiges of his power including his daughter and his Koirala family and cronies go away from Nepali politics. May this also be a reminder to all corrupt in Nepal that you will die one day. It is your choice - after death, do you want people to praise you as having made positive efforts to Nepal, or do you want to be criticized and remembered in history as a destroyer, which is how Girija will be remembered!


23. Hawaldar
Nepotism, especially when it came to promoting an incompetent daughter,  certainly shrouds some of his other achievements but I feel the country has lost  a dedicated, albeit flawed, leader who devoted all of his adult life to serving Nepal by fighting for democracy and equality for all.

If there is any lesson to be learnt from his life, it is that standing firmly when it comes to your beliefs and principles is what wins the day for you but even the mightiest can fall if they lose sight of what got them where they are.

He attained a stature in Nepali politics that many a politician has dreamt of but never achieved. Love him or hate him, he commanded enough respect across the political spectrum to bring disparate political interest groups together.  As the country gets ready to adopt a new constitution and works it's way through contentious issues such as ethnic federalism, his role and record as a peacemaker might have come in handy.

May his soul rest in peace.


24. JS
This marks the end of an era. Despite his "mistakes" and narrow self-interests, that led the country towards further instability and political chaos, he was one influential leader in Nepal. He had tremendous political acumen and the potential to change the face of Nepali politics. It's a tragedy that he chose to surround himself with people who cared least about the country. This is not to say that he should not be held accountable for his deeds - the point here simply is that it is necessary to identify those who influenced him and exploited his name to engage in nepotism and corruption.

I mostly agree with Roshan's comment but one needs to be aware that this is not really a "good close to a chapter on incompetence, nepotism and corruption." The hawks are still living and probably scheming to make most out of GPK's demise. It will be interesting to see how the daughter and nephews race to "fill" the vacuum now created.


25. Victor Brazenski
Rest in Peace old man Girija. I hope that his daughter's churifuri is going to end once her dad is gone and hope that Nepalese people come back to their senses and remove her from the politics forever.


26. ordinaryNepali

Kunda,

I am a bit surprised at your article. Let me put something here.

Koirala fought against several forces in his life. Rana--and with that, he antagonized old monied class such as Pandey, Dixit and A class Ranas too. They naturally always found fault with him. Then he fought against Panchayat. Those who benefitted from Panchayat has no good thing to say about him, except for resorting to ad hominem attack (such as calling him hawaldar even in his obituary). Third he fought against hard core lefties who wanted to destroy the nation. Their ideologies was shaped in their training camps in India, and not it has nothing to do with post 1990 governments.

Kunda, I am not his fan, but you disappoint me alot. You should take a lesson in writing obituary and learn to be gracious.

GPK's legacy has been tainted by his avaricious relatives, but that is only a small side of the man. Look around, and you will see that most of the rich people these days are either UML, Maoists or Kingji supporters. How much of a manipulation the NC did should be put in a proper context.

GPK shoulders some responsibility for he was the prime minister for so long, but he was the prime minister at a time when royal palace was the most powerful (or the Maoists), and these powerful forces wanted to make sure that he failed. Meanwhile, his relatives fought for the spoil of their long drawn struggle. That is the proper context to look at GPK's life.



27. layman
It has been proved that he was less Polarized to ward Janata but more toward his family and their benefit. Additionally, NC party was his Weapons to use when he needed.


28. Jeev
RIP GP Koirala.



29. Krishna Bahadur Nepali

GPK has done both good and bad things for Nepal and Nepalis.  One of the good thing he did was to get rid of Gyanendra. He was very educated, so he had very limited and narrow mindness.  He DEFINITELY  could have left a better Nepal and happy Nepalis.

As for bad things, he nepotism and corruption - divide and rule, lack of economic ideas and progress, a struggling Nepal, Nepalis suffering everyday for a suqre meal or a small home, how bad is that ?

Jai Nepal  



30. Dyang Ko Mula
Its a relief that he is finally gone. But it comes too late, if he had gone a decade earlier Nepal would have been on a different track . Lets hope that now with his death his political sissyas will also be sidelined and the vacuum filled by more honest and genuine political figures.

31. JS
The Hindu notes:

"A strong votary of maintaining close ties with India, Koirala saw it all -- from his struggle as a trade union leader to don the mantle of Prime Ministership, to confront Nepal's monarchs."

"But the 85-year-old could not fulfill his secret dream of making his daughter Sujata Koirala Nepal's first woman Prime Minister though he brought her to a sniffing distance."


Pretty much summarizes his life - mission, achievements and shortcomings - what a loss.




32. PD
I hope that this is a new beginning for Nepal. Everything ends and so has Girija's terrible grip on Nepal. Girija is one of the worst rulers in Nepali history and not a statesman, as the politicians are claiming.

Girija is a major reason for the horrible condition Nepal is in now. Before his power in 1990, Nepal was a peaceful country. You could go anywhere in Nepal and feel safe and enjoy the Nepali hospitality. He completely disregarded everyone's opinion. He wanted to replace "Shah dynasty" with "Koirala dynasty". After 2008 general election, he lobbied the losers - like his daughter and Madhav Kumar Nepal - to lead the government. This was a total joke to all of us voters. Compare John McCain ruling as the President of the US and Obama becoming an opponent. Could you imagine that? He let corrupt people like Khum Bahadur Khadka, Chiranjibi Wagle, Bijay Kumar Gachhedar, Govinda Raj Josh, his own daughter Sujata and many Congress leaders to loot the country under him. He converted Nepali congress to a party led by cheaters and ghusyaas.

However, history will call Girija a failed politician who wasted a tremendous opportunity to transform Nepal. China and India have become world economic powers since 1990, which is when Girija took over Nepal. Unfortunately, we have mostly destroyed what we had rather than rise.

It is a relief for us Nepalese that Girija is gone. May the vestiges of his power including his daughter and his Koirala family and cronies go away from Nepali politics. May this also be a reminder to all corrupt in Nepal that you will die one day. It is your choice - after death, do you want people to praise you as having made positive efforts to Nepal, or do you want to be criticized and remembered in history as a destroyer, which is how Girija will be remembered!


33. K. K.
The plight and the agony of Nepal will not go away, with the passing of one Dasha graha. There are many other Dasha grahas, still.

34. Kris
GPK played commending role for the nation democracy, however, he utilized his knowledge, power, and party for his and his family's personnel interest, not for the nation development. He was main responsible for the downfall of congress party, a strong democratic party of Nepal. As a whole, he did all just for him. Nothing we lost after his death. we just lost a power hunger.

Anyway, I feel sad for the somebody's death. Rest in Peace GPK.


35. Baneswhor 2

1. Koirala had so much godwill and an oppertunity to develop the country during his first innings. and subsequently......he blew it away. He has done great injustice to the Nepalese people.   

2. He is credited with abolishing the Monarchy together with the Maoists...what has this achieved? Nothing! No water, no elecricity, no consitution, no peace...but uncollected garbage, increasing human insecurity, deepening poverty, autocratic political parties, autocratic goverance tendencies , and on and on 

3. Agree completely that 'The legacy that Koirala left behind was one of nepotism, corruption, political infighting, and all the rest'. 

4. His demise is in no way a loss to the country. In fact it could be  a boon if all those spineless so called leaders in the Congress party learn the lesson.

5. I hope we can now not see and ehar less of his corrupt daughter in pulic life.

Jai Nepal.

 



36. Amit United Kingdom
This comment has been removed by the moderator.

37. Timbaktu
Hope: A dangerous thing

Many young Nepali's might thing the death of GPK as an end to the current disintegration of Nepal. He was and is one of the hurdles for a new Nepal. 

How can a nation with young population relate to old and decadent politicians, leaders, Professionals, Civil society, et al.

At present Nepal has lost its integrity and face value; nationally and internationally.

Its time for the youth to stand up for lost values of the of our elders.

RIP GPK


38. Yeti
If he had died before he went for 5* nepotism he would be remembered very differently to the way he will be now. Sadly, after a year or so of infighting, he will just be replaced by the next oldest, not the best and not one who can turn the party and then the country round.

39. radicalDemocrat

अमेरिका देखि संसारकोलागि उच्च प्रबिधिहरु सिर्जना गर्ने र निर्माण गर्ने सिलिकन भ्याली (Sillican Valley) भित्र एउटा कहावत छ, त्यो के भने- " (Microsoft) माइक्रोसफ्टले अग्रिम(Advance) चेक लेख्छ र त्यो चेकलाइ (Intel) इन्टेलले अग्रिम क्यास गर्छ !" यसको अर्थ के भने, Microsoft को कम्प्युटर साइन्टिस्टहरुले कल्पनागरेको software हरुकोलागि चाहिने specification अनुसार Intel ले Processor वा Hardware डिजाइन र उत्पादन गर्छ !

माथिको कहावतको deduction (निचोड) के हुन् आयो भने पुरा "कम्प्युटर सिस्टमको" लागि पहिलो सर्त Hardware हो, अथवा   Hardware को अस्तित्व बिना Software अस्तित्वमा आउदैन र यो पनि त्येतिकै सत्य हो Software को अनुपस्थितिमा Hardware खोक्रो बट्टा मात्र रहन्छ !

स्वर्गीय गिरिजा प्रसाद कोइरालासंग पूरा "प्रजातन्त्र सिस्टम" को तुलना सोहि मुताबिक गर्न सकिन्छ ! गिरिजा प्रसाद कोइराला प्रजातन्त्रको Hardware आयामको अथक (relentless) अभियेन्ता (engineer) वा पहरदार हुन ! प्रजातंत्रको Hardware आयामको essential पक्षहरु "बहुदालिये ब्यवस्था", "आध्याविक चुनाव", र "शक्ति प्रिथिकरण" हुन ! यधपि: प्रजातंत्रको Software आयाम सम्बन्धमा गिरिजा प्रसाद कोइरालाको भूमिकामा बहस हुन सक्छ ! तर ६० बर्षको उनको राजनितिक जीवनमा गिरिजा प्रसाद कोइरालाले नेपालीहरुलाई लगाएको "गुण" भनेको इतिहासको कठिन मोड़हरुमापनि "पुरातन नेपाली शासकहरुसंग" प्रजातंत्रको Hardware आयाममा कहिले समझौता गरेनन !

हाम्रा बिशाल अपेक्षाहरु कहिले पूरा हुन्दैनन त्यसैले हामी जिउंदो छउन्जेल कुनै महत्वपूर्ण मान्छेलाइ महान देखदैनौ र हरपल गाली नै गरि रहन्छौ ! जब उसको मृत्यु हुन्छ उसलाई समष्टि (bird eye view ) ले हेर्न बाध्य हुन्छौ र totality मा स्वर्गीय गिरिजा प्रसाद कोइराला नेपालको प्रजातांत्रिक इतिहासको एक महान "हीरो" हुन !

स्वर्गीय गिरिजा प्रसाद कोइरालाको आत्माले चिर शान्ति पाओस भनी श्रदा पूर्वक प्रार्थना गर्दछु !



40. R RAI

Guys, is it the right time to express so much bitterness? Could not those criticisms wait for a while?

I am not his party supporter but for god's sake, was not he Nepal's Prime minister , therefore desereves some decency at this moment?



41. maotsetung

Its bad for his untimely death but good for Nation..We wish never take re birth from nepal.

Jaya Nepal



42. RK

Like many, I am confused as to how I should react to the death of no doubt a tall figure - both figuratively speaking and in real life.

Many of the Nepalese that I come across deride Koirala for raping this beautiful country to the point where it has stopped bleeding because hardly any blood is left to bleed. Even more deride him for a simple fact that he, as a leader, put himself, his family and his friends above the rest of the populace - the very people who gave him the stature and the opportunity to rule.

Though saddened must be some people who had direct links with him, many more like me have breathed a sigh of relief and a sense of hope as Girija breathed his last breadth.

I hope this event will usher in a fresh band of leadership in Nepal who will be pay more attention to policy than politics, who will pay more attention to economy than to their own personal well-being. But like many Nepalese, I too have far too often seen every phase of opportunity being squandered by the leadership of this nation, and am therefore, cautiously optimistic. 



43. B Rijal
R. I. P. G P K.......but as everyone has said, no loss to nation....we hope to get some light at the other end now....better politics and a better nation....

44. Safar
@ #7 (kabulekanchho)

"...
as the Baje was more than 6 ft tall"

"... Little Baje Prachande"

I can't believe the Nepali Times moderators actually allowed a post with language like that. That kind of patronizing and patriarchal language, towards any ethnicity,  is out of place in today's society.  Makes you wonder had it not been for the progressive and reformist agenda of the likes of Girija and countless other social reformers in the past, we would probably still be calling  each other bajes, rajas, kajis, sahujis etc


45. gorkhali2
There is no doubt GPK has sacrificed a lot during his early part of life while fighting against Rana and Shah regimes. However, he failed Nepal as a leader. So many negative comments on his obituary speak volume and prove the point. It was unfortunate for Nepal that GPK despite being in a position to usher it to a better future failed it again and again. He simply did not have the talent and vision required for a true leader like Mandela or Gandhi. But again, he did his best. It was our own ignorance and culture of "chakari" that made us to tolerate someone like him for so long. Do you think the other are any better than GPK - Ramchandra Poudel, Sushil Koirala, Deuba, Sujata Koirala, MKN, Jhal Nath Khanal, Gyane, Babu Ram, Prachanda etc? But can we really blame them. Who are they without us in masses supporting and praising them.

Can we take a lesson from GPK and stop promoting incompetent leaders just because they have chosen politics as profession?



46. Kamal Kishor

It is very uncivilized and more so non-Nepalese to say bad words to a deadman whose kaz-kriya is not yet finished.

However Kunda should be thanked for writing a beutiful peace on Girijababu. Is it a loss? Yes. A great manupulator and so dictatorial? Yea. A champion of democracy? Yes. But sometimes he had his own definition. Was he different than other politicians? No and so he was not well above others. Was he taller than Ganeshman? Yes in height but not on stature.

But was he a great asset? Overall yes. He changed Nepal in a way no body could do before.

However, Girijababu will be remembered for a long time. I will remember him for his contribution to bringing democracy back. I want to remember him as Commander in Chief of Jana-Andolan 2. Rest goes with him. Let he rest in peace.



47. Clive
This comment has been removed by the moderator.

48. K. K.

Well, for better or for worst, the TB rule is over.
TB = Three Bahuns.

But we still have TB rule. This second TB, being TWO Bahuns.
It is also a lottery for Prachanda Baje. What tactical [ Rana Niti ] game will this Bahun intiate, now.


49. BG
whoever thinks his death was a loss to Nepal, in any sense except for that a Nepalese citizen, whosoever it be, died, I suggest you to read more.....it's too early for you to pass comments...

50. TG Ramaswamy, Everest Containers Pvt. Ltd., Hetauda

I deeply express my most heartfelt condolences for the physical disappearance of my great leader Girija Prasad Koirala , a committed political leader and the President of the Nepali Congress. He was a historical leader, and also 4 times Prime Minister of Nepal. He tirelessly fought for the wellbeing of the Nepali people, the just causes and peace.
He almost devoted his entire life to the democratic cause, in which he suffered the hardship of prison during the time of King Mahendra following the 1960 royal coup . He actively involved in the 1990 Jana Andolan which led to the abrogation of the Panchayat rule and the introduction of a multi-party politics in the country. He became a symbol of the Peace , and won respect and acknowledgement not only in Nepal but through out the world.
His absence from the political scene, which he had so long dominated, will leave a void, which I hope the collective leadership of the Nepali Congress will be able to fill.
I on behalf of my Company's workmen (Everest Containers Pvt. Ltd. Hetuda) pay profound tribute to the deceased leader and also express condolences to his family. May His soul rest in peace.

TG Ramaswamy
Everest Containers Pvt Ltd. HID. Hetauda



51. Himachal Josy
Hate him or curse him, Girija babu was better than anyone alive today. But for those who discredit him, longed for his death or happy about it, go back to history and see how one's person dedication to democracy can change a lot for this country. yeah, it's the royalists, and the sycophants who know nothing about your country but just want your anarchic king back so that the poor and the marginalised can go back to their bad old days when they remained quite despite all the repression that impoverished them every day from Tribhuwan's time to his third generation (except Birendra) with the likes of dictators like Mahendra and Gyanendra. FIrst of all, read your history and where your old generation suffered during the worst days of their lives under the brutal Ranas, feudal Shah masters and the hypocritical communists. Girija might have a lot of follies but he was the best and the the thin thread of hope for this country and a great balance between power mongering, blood thirsty politicians of today. That thread is now broken and definitely the country will definitely go into ruins.

52. Chiranjivi

Dear Ordinary Nepali, You sound more like an extra ordinary Nepali and beneficiery with priviledges received with Girija's mismanagement of the country and party. An obituary should not be full of praises that one does not deserve. A biased obituary with only praises and achievements is an old fashioned style. I feel Kunda has done justice to Girija babu and family in his writing. This is not to say that Girijababu has no achievements. He has. Many. However, of the most astonishing one that I would say is that Girijababu consciously chose to be Sujata's father than a statesman. He had ample opportunities to be a statesman. In almost every occasion, he disappointed the countrymen. Many of his family members perhaps compelled him to do so. There are a very few individuals in our most recent history (except three Bahadurs being Surya, Lokendra and Sher) like Girija who have had so much of  opportunities to lead our country in right directions. All of them, including Girija, have bungled and failed hopelessly from whichever angle you look at.

I am sorry to say that Girija chose to be Sujata's father rather than country's father. There was no reason for him to impose incompetent and looser Sujata to a cabinet post, much to the chargin of her own NC colleagues. Instead, he should have groomed her to be a party organiser and ask her to work from the grassroot. Where was she during the Andolans? Did Girija, or Sujata, for that matter think that the country was their personal property? Pushing incompetent Sujata against the wishes of the NC is going to be the legacy of Girija and burden of the Nepali people.

May his soul rest in peace.



53. kabulekanchho

To Kamal Kishor and Safar,

Please stop pontificating. People will express themselves the way the feel about the situation. All of us feel sorry for Girija's demise (because he gave so many years to what he felt was public service). Look at the end result; opinions starting from Kunda, it is not even mixed, it is tragically skewed despite our culture to say nothing critical of a just deceased person. It is the frustration of people speaking loud and clear. He and those who have been at the helms of affair in Kathmandu all these years either by popular mandate or through Machiavellian moves bear the responsibility for the state of affairs in Nepal.



54. Harka

Well... Girja could have become the Mandela of Nepal had he raised himself above Petty politics and vested interest.

Oppertunities like this come to one only once in a life time. Well he missed the Boat.... Nepal will keep having to look for a Stateman to get us out of this mess.



55. MB
GP Koirala was indeed a leader. No doubt there. But what kind of leader was he and how he changed Nepal forever - everybody is doubtful.

However, as any loss, this material loss of the ex PM is colossal to Nepal as a nation, politically.

May his departed soul rest in peace and the country move forward in making it a heaven once everyone envied.



56. Vija Srestha

Dear reader,

My Condolences to the Koirala family.

GPK was somebody we all are.His presence is gone,however his life is the example of all your lives.He was just one of those who thought he could make a difference,but eventhough having all of us around he couldn't,because one hand washes the other.He did not start out to be this person you describe.It is we all in the Big Family.That is the ugly truth.Just read all the coments.Many of us are even scared to use  own names.At least those who are objective,accept that he was just a human.Was he worse than many of us?I don't think so,he was just in a public eye,but many of us are doing  and will still do the same he did.As for the chance for the party to allow it to redefine itself as the party of the people rather than a clan-based political entity,is dreaming unreal dreams,because everyone in the party had a voice,had a chance to do,but like I said,they are not different from him.If everyone of us will just ask ourselves,who I am,what did I do to make Nepal a better place.Remember to ask ourselves who we are as a family,what are our values and what I as a member of a family,the big family Nepal,am doing for the better future of my big family.Not all means to succeed  are good,even for the sake of the Family.I know that for a fact,I was in such a turmoil myself and I didn't like it.I am glad I was strong enough to get rid of things I was not proud of myself and it makes me feel better.If the future generations have turned out the way they are,it is because of the family,of the community,of the big Nepali community.There is no one to blame,accept the mistakes ,keep open mind and everyone has a chance to be better,starting from today.It is up to us,carry as much a you can ,accept those who try to do something about it,help them if you see the better future for doing it,be strong enough to say your point of view,but keep going for the values you want in your  family,and that will be Nepal we want ,change if needed,but everyone has to participate and stronger must support not use the weekest member of the family,just because the weekest has no acceess due to the position he is in.

People need to have the basics every human deserves,shelter,food,health,love and care,education, which  millions of people in the world have.Restructure and start with basics ,I think it is the priority for the whole Nepal and everyone involved.I would like to give just very simple example.Maslow's hierarchy of needs.I wish every political leader or the one who says he is doing for the betterment of the big family,will have this pyramid in his office ,and succeeding using only moral values acceptable and respectful to each member of the family.

I liked living in Nepal and wish each  member of this diversy family do participate in taking care of each member of the Big Family,Nepal .

Let the mistakes be acknowledged,let's not be by standers,it's the work that transforms,work,not words.Take care of everyone in the family.

Mrs.Vija Srestha



57. Suman
Good job Kunda Dixit for laying it out for everyone to see and draw their own conclusion.  Girija's twin focus became the reason for his political demise --his presidentship and his daughter's political career.  Maoists benefited from this "obsession".  The country and his party have both suffered as a result of his short-sightedness.  I am glad that this assessment is taking place right now.  The country is too important to ignore this.  His ego clash with Gynandra also cannot be ignored which began right after the 2001 massacre (he met with Prachand and Baburam back in 2002).  He also derailed the achievement of 1990 by being too power hungry and plunging the country into a banana state --early election, sidelining of KP Bhattarai and Ganesh M Singh.  He became too attached to "attention".  I am sure many NC leaders are probably rejoicing , not from his death, but from being "free".  That said, he could have done some good things for the country too, especially by not being a greedy father.  Dhitrarastra indeed!


58. OrdinaryNepali

@Chiranjivi,

In case you don't know, all comments here are moderated-- you see the comments that the editor wants us to see. No wonder they are skewed.

As for me being extra ordinary and privileged, what to say! Yes, I was privileged in that (1) before 2046, I wouldn't have received passport to travel (2) before 2007, I wouldn't have gotten chance to go to school  and thanks in part to Girijababu, I got chance to go to school, and to go abroad for study. It still makes me one of the thousands in country--not the privileged one.

Our country is in a bad state but that is more of a contribution of Panchayat, Rana and Maoists. To think it is due to girijababu is a biased view coming out of those who were privileged due to association with the Ranas, Panchayat and the Maoists.



59. Bhimsen bhatt
I think this is the most accurate obituary i have read. Unlike, his partisan, who churns up his opinion based on what he listens from raghu pant, hari sharma, and the likes, kunda has done a very fair job. Showering praise on a dead politician that failed to live up to the expectation of Nepali people will instigate other politicians to  to care less about the legacy. They should know that if they don't live up to the expectation of people, they will  judged accordingly. High time to promote meritocracy!


60. Dharma
Girija was angry when he could not become the first President. In his fit of anger, he placed Ram Baran Yadav and supported Parmanand Jha who created so much problem later on out of nothing which stalled, at times, the functioning of the government. There goes Girija's devotion towards the country and commitment to democracy. Then he pushed his daughter Sujata's candidacy for the Deputy Prime Ministership. Can you imagine that Sujata even did not go to India in an official tour with the Prime Minister just because she was not promoted to the Deputy PM. Such is the devotion and committment of another Koirala. Sher Bahadur Deuba was made a hero out of nothing just because Girija was not willing to give in. Girija fought hard to defeat KP Bhattarai in a parliamentary election. Girija has done more harm to the country than good. He simply lacked vision. He only focused on his own, his daughter and his immediate family. He was never a unifier. He was a divider. It is going to take the country a long time to recover from the misdirections perpetuated by Girija. That is the truth and truth be told in a straight forward way. He has also taken him the truth he knew about the Royal Massacre which he said he was going to divulge but he never did.

61. true nepali
My support to the family that has lost a great soul in their own rights.  one thing is for sure and that he was involved to bring down the shahs, ranas and many ruthless rulers of nepal. will We ever have peace. one thing that GPK didn't do was be fair and was very corrupt. at the end, we have to learn lessons from him and develop a good nation with good peoples.

62. Sunita Tiwari
......................................Beg to differ on fact based conclusion.
"Perhaps Koirala's two most notable actions were to stand up to King Gyanendra after his creeping coup in 2002..."
After Sher Bahadur was kicked by Gyanendra, the country waited for a whole week for the next person. Neither GPK nor MaKuNe uttered a word during this 160+ hours. No rocket science is required to guess what they were thinking: They would get the top job. Only after Lokendra was appointed the PM, both of them started crying like a baby.
Its OK for a biased guy like Kunda Dixit to attribute this standing-up-to-king-Gyanendra greatness to GPK. Facts obviously shows a different face of the man who was trying to save monarchy till the last moment by so called 'baby king' bullshit.


63. Puru
There are people who love humanity, yet are cruel to ordinary people. GPK was someone who loved democracy, but hated what democracy demanded for governance.

64. Observer

He had his flaws, and made many mistakes, but assessing his life in its entirety I think he will go down in history as one of the greats, in the same league as BP, Ganeshman, and Manmohan. He was always under-rated by the chattering classes, and reviled by the Kathmandu elite, because he was no orator, or thinker, and did not have the immediate appeal of a charismatic politician. To them he was a fumbling usurper from Biratnagar. Yet, he towered above everyone and humbled them all in the end. In this cacophony of insults and praise, I have a few observations:

1. To say he spent ALL his life for democracy is a cliche, but think about this: when the democracy movement succeeded in 1990, he was 66, past retirement age. He began his public career AFTER having given all his adult life to the cause of a freer Nepal. It was not for money, or personal glory. He toiled like a loyal soldier in an understated manner, mostly in the shadow of his illustrious brother BP. Ten years in jail, another 10 in exile; the maddening negotiations with Mahendra and Surya Bahadur, and later Birendra, the revolutionary adventures, lives of cadres, frustrations, doubts, and betrayals. You have to be built quite differently to withstand all that for 30 years. That's not even counting his struggles against the Ranas, or during the unstable decade after 1950. Even though he was President of Morang Congress, BP denied him a ticket to the historic elections of 1959.  

2. He became PM quite unexpectedly in 1991, and faced the most hostile atmosphere imaginable. EVERYONE hated him – from the royalists and the army, to the communists and a Congress fringe. They obstructed him, and wanted him to fail. We must measure his achievements against the counterfactual of what might have happened if Nepal's opposition was more mature in the 1990s. Anyone with less willpower than GPK would not have survived the atmosphere of poison, recklessness and hostility that Kathmandu harbored in the early 1990s.

3. He died a simple man in Kathmandu, with no notable personal property. He was not personally corrupt, but people say he tolerated abuses under his watch, including by his ministers (like Khum Bahadur and Bijay Gacchedaar) and his incompetent daughter. That's probably true, and he should have done more to curtail corruption or perceptions of such acts. But no one ever pointed a finger at GPK for amassing personal fortune.  No charge was ever brought, or proven in a court of law. Some men of GPK's era were in politics for a higher cause. Think of the ethnically eclectic Sundarijal-6 who stayed in King Mahendra's prison without trial for 8 years (BP, Ganeshman, KP, Diwansingh Rai, Ram Narayan Mishra and Yogendraman Sherchan) when so many Congressis defected to the Panchayat. Of course, GPK could be arrogant. The adulation and the raw power got to him at times. Sycophancy on the part of supporters and vitriol from everyone else led him to make some bad decisions. Some bad decisions in a life of 86 years. But anything that damns or incriminates him directly? I never saw anything credible.   

4. People say he was authoritarian inside the Congress. But they forget that he was always ELECTED within his party with around 80% of the votes. NC had an executive presidential system that gave much leeway to the elected president. Yes, he should have done more to institutionalize decision making, etc. But we should not forget that he came with a moral stature of having kept the flame of NC alive for 30 years. There was a sense of authority in him and he exercised it. If his cadres thought he was abusing their trust, they had the choice of defeating him in the General Conventions. Many tried, seldom garnering more than one-fifth of the vote. At times Koirala's perceived heavy-handedness  was counter-productive. At times it served the country well, like when he singlehandedly gave the destructive Maoists a safe landing saving Nepal from a slow ruin. Baburam and Prachanda have testified to his decisiveness. And let's not forget that GPK began his negotiations with the Maoists after the NC Central Committee empowered him to do so.

5. Forget his blunt public utterances about Males and Mandales being the same. In private, I am told he was most courteous and civil. I know of no instance when he insulted other leaders in public. In return, everyone loved to vilify him in public for 20 years. Many people want to see in him a villain, a scheming politician. I'm sure he plotted and devised tactics to defeat people who were out there to defeat him. Who wouldn't? And who would suffer opportunistic disloyalty on the part of those whose careers he groomed? I think leaders should have the right to be disappointed too.   

GPK did what he did against a backdrop of immense adversity, created by the Right as well as the Left, sometimes in unison. Yet he prevailed. In sum:   

(1) He was a rock, who never rested, and never compromised on his principle that Nepal needed a democratic system to secure both the prosperity and dignity of each man and woman.

(2) He opened up Nepal economically after Panchayati stagnation, unleashed the highest rates of economic growth the country has ever seen between 1991 and 1994. He let the parliamentary system follow its course, err, and mature, before the Maoist onslaught intensified in the late 1990s.

(3) When ambitions of both the royalists and extreme communists looked like they were going to drag Nepal down the road of further ruin, he stood to humble them all. Gyanendra lost the monarchy. And GPK made the Maoists swallow their hated pill for a plural, competitive, democratic Nepal.    

All your human failing and foible, we will forgive. All your acts of greatness, we shall celebrate.  Adieu Girijababu.



65. NP

It is our tradition not to speak ill of a deceased person. GPK was no ordinary person. Therefore, the truth must be spoken when you write about him. He was a great 'havaldar". He had so much power, yet he did not use it properly even till his last breath. Both NC and the country are in shambles because of his lack of vision and leadership, or shall I say he had a narrow vision.

What intrigues me most is why his step son, Suresh, was not the one with Sujata to light a funeral pyre to GPK. Why was he not in the picture? I understand GPK raised him as his own son. GPK even gave his name as father to Suresh's citizenship certificate. It shows the great heartedness of GPK that he treated Suresh as his own son.

Did we not hear of the step son because of the old thinking that step son is not a son even if you raise as your son? Or is it just because Suresh is out because he is not or chose not to be in the limelight of politics?

I was a step son of my father who had raised me. When he passed away, I lit the funeral pyre with full rituals with my (step) brothers. It could be that Sureshji was there and media did not focus on him. May be.

 



66. tesroankha
@ observer... well said..this wouldve made a better analysis that whatever article ive read so far


67. sameer

Congratulations to Kunda for writing this. It is not easy to say these things when a person has just deceased.  Thanks for showing your guts, Kunda.  We are not talking about an ordinary person.  We are talking about our country's future, a party's future, and the peace process itself.  Yes, Girija was a towering personality,  and that too because he worked very hard to quell any other leadership challenges especially within his own party.  Those who say Girija had not been a hindrance are on denial.  He was not a perfect leader, and there is nothing wrong in admitting it.  This piece was important to come out at this point to grab the attention of the people to see what he did and did not do. Or what he could have done especially when he had all the opportunity.  Instead, he chose to promote his daughter.  After reading all the articles on Girija the past a couple of days, I must admit that Girija P. Koirala will be remembered as a most polarizing political figure in Nepal's history.  How will NC come out of their political ashes will be interesting to watch. 



68. K. K.

67 Comments so far. What he did , good or bad, and what he did not do.
But not a single comment on what he was made to do by the Masters in Delhi..... interesting. .. An active puppet without a string !!!! Wow !


69. Al Raj

The only time I was impressed with Girja was in 1990, when he spoke in the first mass meeting after the Panchayat rule had ended.  Girja had said that the restoration of democracy was a victory for everyone, even Panchas. I recall he was criticized and attacked for saying so becuase Panchas were then a hated and unpopular bunch. But what he said was profound and comes right out of the thoughts and theories of Paulo Freire. Having heard that, I thought our county was in good hands of a great visionary leader. I need not go into what kind of a leader Girja proved to be as I would just be repeating what many commentators above have said.   



70. Prem
Well Written. Probably one of the few articles after GPK's death, that had the courage to tell the truth. As for him  being a  'defender of democracy"in this articles,  the author forgot to mentioned that before the JanaAndolan, he was ready to join the panches as the prime minister. He didnot do so only because Birendra refused to let him use a single election sign for all his followers. He was going to do this by splitting the party, which incidentally would have been the best thing for this country. GPK has single handedly destroyed this country. I remember the jubiliation and the hope all Nepalese had with the fall of the panchyat system. All of us hoped that the new government would be filled with people from different walks of life, different backgrounds and people who had contributed to the cause of democracy. But it was not to be so. The first cabinet of  the first democratically elected government contained five  close relatives of the Prime minister. He broke all rules of the Govenment Service commission to put his people in the best positions like in the finance ministry and the foreign ministry. All this guy cared for was the welfare of his family and his chamchas. Nepal could have been so different from what it is now. He turned one of the most peaceful countries to one of the most dangerous place on earth. And the politicians and journalists are going around praising him. It is a real shame and indication that there is no one to steer country to the right path.

71. xyz

Dear Citizen,

Lets not hurry to write the history of this nation. History should be written in future only after proper assessment and judgements. If I borrow the Maoist language, Girija should be presented/remembered like this " roop ma herda jhwatta ramro jasto bhaye pani saaar ma naramro"

If we just look at the face value he fought for peace and democracy but the real story is totally different. Hez so lucky that hez gone respectfully and won't be here with us to see more to be disasters for which all the credits goes to him. He has left Nepal in jeopardy, worsened law and order situation, lost the 1990's Democracy which we already had in hand  and left behind us Maoist Democracy, fractured nation, fractured society.

History to be written in future will definitely take these factors in acount. He will be remembered by the coming generations who is going to suffer a lot.



72. G.P.K.

end of the eternal strugle, finally in a honrable sleep

eyes in the closed vision, tears from the ears

call from above, friendship vanished in dust

health turned out to bee heavenly enemy

just the matter of time, it's catching all

end of the day, end of an era

poverty made us a chee.may.key ka dummy

economy is mummy

Reality seems Hari.Shankar.Tree.Pathi in Bill.tea



73. Raju Katel

Girija Prasad Koirala was a father of nepali citizen. He has done many thing for us. Some work which he has done for selfish, is hates him. Just as Lauda Aeroplane, relationship of his family etc.

But I think in the end of his life he was doing good work.



74. Ghattekulo

Girija ko sahaj anta vayekoma Condolence to the koirala family at Biratnagar. Aba Nepal nissashine bhayena grand design bat.

Hawaldarko pakadbat mukti payeko ma congressjana lai shuvkaman 

 Be careful and democrat in the reorganization of strong nepali congress both inhouse and out as well . Sabai pada nirwachanbatai purti hune byabastha gara , Natra tike ra chandane tatha khatmunika sulsuleharule purai sangathan bitholne chha



75. akash sherung
Had it not been for the soldiers at Kathmandu airport denying VIP treatment and asking Girija Babu to walk in the hot sun from the airport parking to the departure lounge, in one of his visits to Biratnagar - I guess Girija Babu would never have compromised on his and Nepali congress's stance on constitutional monarchy.  Girija Babu's decision finally  to send off  Nepal's monarchy to aryaghat know towing Maoist's agenda could be nothing more than a personal vendetta for the ' insult' accorded at the airport.  It may be interesting to analyze Girija Babu would have died a 'villian' had he not lived longer to become a octogenarian. It was the vulnerability of our political times that pushed him to to charge of  a 'hero'  and his being an elderly politician gave some protection from Gyanendra's cruelty. A younger Girija Babu would not have mustered courage to this level to challenge Gyanendra.. he was seen being taken 'ill' and falling on rostrum when being faced by harder situation.. As a person Girija Babu babu may have helped many people but as a political leader his performance has been questionable..  Had it not been for the power struggle that is going between the Maoists and 22 parties and also the infighting for power within the congress and UML - tribute shown to Girija Babu on his demise may not have been this grandiose..  I mourned his passing away as good human being than a national hero..


76. Rabindra Rana
Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish......lets look / hope  for a brighter future without all those rubbishy people.....

77. arun
It is indeed a sad news that a person passed away. Death is never a good news but in this case I rejoiced at his death. Call it insensitive or what ever you like but he deserved nothing better.
His contributions to the nation are
-made bigger Sujata, nepotism at best
-made corruption the norm
-made bitter Nepal
-made himself a defacto ruler of NC and kept other NC leaders at bay
-compromised national interest and openly accepted gratitude from India
-established a norm of worshiping Indian bureaucrats and made them defacto rulers of our nation
-did everything in his power to destabilize the established industries to give upper hand to Indian products
 


78. Jugal B
Will our our politicians learn a lesson from it? Even in death, GPK is being cursed.  Call it his legacy or a burden to the Nepali janata, it is Sujata. GPK's death has generated so much passion, hatred and anger at the same time. People did not even wait till he crosses the Baitarani River. Of course, the likes of Ram Baran and Makune who got the lottery with support from GPK will ever remain grateful to him --all at the cost of Nepali janata. Arun in his comments (#77) said the best.

79. sunny
This comment has been removed by the moderator.

80. N-epal.com
End of Girija is the beginning of Nepal

www.N-epal.com | www.NepaleseAbroad.com


LATEST ISSUE
638
(11 JAN 2013 - 17 JAN 2013)


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