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

THT OPINION

KATHMANDU: The Nepali Congress finds itself in exactly the same situation it was 27 years ago when BP Koirala died of protracted throat cancer. With its president and visionary gone, the Congress party was left with Ganesh Man Singh, Acting President Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and General Secretary Girija Prasad Koirala at the top.
Fast forward to March 20. Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala is dead, and at the helm are: senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, Acting President Sushil Koirala and Vice President Ram Chandra Paudel — all believed to be potential candidates for the party leadership in their own ways. For the moment, the Congress party’s fate hangs on to the trio, as was evident today. Sushil, Deuba and Paudel jointly placed the party flag on the body of the party president as they paid their last respect to the revered leader at the Aryaghat. “If one of them had been an acceptable leader for all, there would be a single leader to place the flag from the party,” said central member Narahari Acharya.
As Koirala was the main initiator of the peace process and the process of writing a new constitution, his demise has created doubts over the success of the two key agendas on time. 
Koirala’s demise has put forth some serious questions before the Congress: Who will be the next top leader of the party? Will the next leadership be able to encompass all groups of the party together? Will it hold the capacity to lead the country’s democratic movement and deal with the Maoists as earlier?
With the death of Koirala, who gave a firm leadership to the party for 13 years, the party will have to shoulder two immediate challenges — tackling the issues of peace process with internal unity and electing a new leader.
Although the party has entered into a semi-collective leadership system, there must emerge a single leader from among them to lead the party. “The NC rank and file is not satisfied with the performance of acting president Sushil, parliamentary party leader Paudel and senior leader Deuba. So, if they do not prove themselves competent, the leadership will emerge from the newer generation,” Acharya said.
“None of them have delivered well in their front,” said Acharya.
“If the leaders do not act responsibly and do not reform themselves from the tendency of working for personal interests, the party will have to face more losses and difficulties,” said Purna Bahadur Khadka, another central member. 
“The place of Girijababu will never be filled in the party,” said Krishna Sitaula. The leaders must change themselves and be able to come above their personal interests, he said .