Girija Prasad Koirala 1925 to 2010
 

TIME LINE

  • Born in Biratnagar in 1925
  • 1948: Koirala founds the Nepal Mazdoor Congress, which later became the Nepal Trade Union Congress
  • 1952: Koirala becomes the President of the Morang district Nepali Congress
  • 1960: Imprisoned by King Mahendra following the 1960 royal coup
  • 1967: Released from jail, is exiled to India along with other leaders and workers of the party
  • 1979: Returns to Nepal
  • 1975-1991: General Secretary of the Nepali Congress Party
  • 1990: Actively takes part in the Jana Andolan which results in establishment of multi-party democracy
  • 1991: NC wins 112 of the 205 seats in multi-party elections. GPK becomes the leader of the NC parliamentary party and is sworn in as Prime Minister
  • 1994: With divisions in the party and defection of 36 members sympathetic to K P Bhattarai, Koirala loses vote. Koirala resigns. King Birendra dissolves parliament
  • November 15, 1994: CPN-UML wins most seats in the House of Representatives and Man Mohan Adhikari becomes the prime minister of a minority government
  • Koirala engineers the fall of Surya Bahadur Thapa. Heads NC minority government
  • December 25, 1998: Koirala heads a three-party coalition government with the CPN-UML and NSP
  • May 3 and May 17, 1999: General Elections held. NC wins again after deep divisions within UML. Heavy defeat of leftist parties
  • 2000: Koirala becomes Prime Minister for the third time after forcing KP Bhattarai to resign. It is the ninth government in 10 years
  • June 1, 2001: King Birendra and other royal family members massacred
  • June 4, 2001: Prince Gyanendra becomes King
  • July 2001: Maoists step up war. Koirala quits after being unable to mobilize the army. Deuba succeeds
  • 2001 November: Maoists end four-month old truce with government, declare peace talks with government failed. Launch coordinated attacks on army and police posts
  • Novermber 22, 2005: 12-point agreement signed in New Delhi
  • 2006 April 24: King Gyanendra agrees to reinstate parliament following weeks of violent strikes and protests against direct royal rule. GP Koirala is appointed prime minister. Maoists call a three-month ceasefire
  • 2006 May: Parliament votes unanimously to curtail the king’s political powers. The government and Maoist rebels begin peace talks
  • 2006 May 2: Koirala announces new cabinet including himself and three other ministers from the Nepali Congress
  • 2006, June 16: Rebel leader Prachanda and PM Koirala hold talks - the first such meeting between the two sides - and agree that the Maoists should be brought into an interim government
  • 2006 November: The government and Maoists sign a peace accord, declaring a formal end to a 10-year insurgency. The rebels are to join a transitional government and their weapons placed under UN supervision
  • 2007 January: Maoist leaders enter parliament under the terms of a temporary constitution. Violent ethnic protests erupt in the south-east; demonstrators demand autonomy for the region
  • 2007 April 1: Koirala re-elected as Prime Minister to head a new government composed of the SPA and the CPN (Maoist)
  • 2007 December: Parliament approves abolition of monarchy as part of peace deal with Maoists, who agree to re-join government
  • 2008, May 28: Nepal becomes a republic
  • 2008, July 21: Two months after the departure of King Gyanendra, Ram Baran Yadav becomes Nepal’s first president
  • 2009, May 4: Caught in row over dismissal of Nepal’s army chief, country’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, resigns Terms as Prime Minister
  • 25 April 2006 - 18 August 2008
  • 22 March 2000 - 26 July 2001
  • 15 April 1998 - 31 May 1999
  • 26 May 1991 - 30 November 1994

INTERNATIONAL TRIBUTES

KATHMANDU: Expressing grief over the death of Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala, Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today said Koirala was one of Nepal’s towering leaders and an elder statesman of South Asia.
In his condolence message to Koirala’s daughter Sujata, Singh said he was “stunned” to learn the passing away of Koirala.
 Koirala was a “mass leader and a statesman. His passing away marks the end of an era in Nepalese politics. His knowledge and wisdom guided the polity of Nepal in the right direction at critical junctures in the country’s history,” Singh said in his statement.
He added that he personally had a long association with the departed leader and have “benefited immensely from his wise counsel and advice not only on issues affecting our bilateral ties but also on matters affecting South Asia as a whole.”
He had an enlightened vision of India-Nepal relations and worked sincerely to bring the people of the two countries closer together, said Singh.
Representative of the UN Secretary-General Karin Landgren, on behalf of UNMIN and the UN Country Team, also expressed deep sorrow on the death of the eminent leader.
In a press release, UNMIN said that with his passing away, Nepal has lost a towering figure in its political history.
Koirala was instrumental to the peace process in Nepal which ended 10 years of conflict. He brought his political skill and credibility to bear in persuading the parties to begin the dialogue that led to the 12-point agreement, and later to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement itself, the release said.
 UNMIN further said, “The greatest tribute to GP Koirala will be to take up the spirit of his conviction, bringing fresh dedication to concluding the process of preparing a new constitution and consolidating a lasting peace in Nepal.”
Similarly, the United States of America today said that the best way to honour the late Koirala’s legacy is to accelerate the peace process and finalise the new constitution as quickly as possible.
“On behalf of the American people, we wish to express our sympathy and solidarity with the people of Nepal upon the death of Girija Prasad Koirala, the leader of the Nepali congress party and former prime minister,” the American embassy said in a statement.
It further stated, “we extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Koirala, especially his daughter, Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala.”
America also lauded Koirala’s struggle for democracy and peace. “The United States stands with Nepal as it mourns the loss of the statesman,” the release added.
In a statement, Federation of Nepali Journalists also expressed grief over the death and said Koirala had tirelessly fought in all upheavals in his span of the country’s history. It recalled that Koirala had taken a lead in bringing the Maoists, who had been waging a war for a decade, to the political mainstream.
Expressing grief over the death, Editors’ Society of Nepal noted all mediapersons in the country had been aggrieved by the news. Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) stated Koirala’s six-decade-long fight through the Rana regime, the partyless Panchayat system and recent popular movement proved his commitment to democracy.
In a press release, National Human Rights Foundation stated the country would always acknowledge Koirala’s leadership in establishing and institutionalising democracy in the nation. It called on all the parties to develop mutual cooperation for the sake of meaningfully concluding the peace process by writing the constitution on time. Nepal Bar Association and Supreme Federation of Nepal National Transport Entrepreneurs also expressed grief over the octogenarian’s death.