MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

The death of Nepal's top political leader Girija Prasad Koirala has created a vacuum in the country, and the political situation has become uncertain. The country is grieving as he died when the peace and constitution-writing processes hadn't concluded.

He used to say the word 'rest' didn't exist in his dictionary, that life should be like a flowing river. He lived up to his words. He was consulting with political leaders about the deadlock even when he was bedridden and breathing from an oxygen cylinder.

He was a man of action and had the will to achieve what he believed in. He was actively involved in the movement against the Rana regime, the Panchayat system, and led the popular movement against the royal coup. He brought the Maoists into mainstream politics and ended a decade of bloodshed. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailed his move and dubbed him the tallest leader in Asia.

He kept reciting the mantra of consensus, cooperation and unity as a way out of the current political impasse. Nepal lost its guardian at a time when mistrust between political parties.

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