Kathmandu: The 26th death anniversary of Ganeshman Singh, the Supreme Commander of the people’s movement 1990, was marked on Tuesday. He had passed away on September 18, 1997 at the age of 82. Singh remaining as an epitome of dedication and courage in the Nepali politics demonstrated his exemplary political character by proposing his colleague Krishna Prasad Bhattarai to be the Prime Minister of Nepal after the success of the people’s movement.
Initially, the then King Birendra urged Singh to take the premier post. Born in a well-off family in Kathmandu, he joined the Praja Parishad, the first political association in Nepal, to protest against the autocratic Rana regime. For his involvement in the anti-Rana campaign, Singh was imprisoned by the government of that time. However, before the year 1950, he successfully escaped from the local Bhadragol jail, a high security prison in Kathmandu, and went into exile in India. During his exile, Singh was able to establish political relations with another emerging leader of the time, BP Koirala. He played a significant role in providing lifelong leadership to the Nepali Rastriya Congress, which was established in 1947.
Singh, one of the prominent figures of the Birgunj armed struggle, aimed at the restoration of democracy. He was a great follower and supporter of BP. He was the senior minister in the first people’s-elected government in 1959 and had spent eight consecutive years in confinement in the Singha Durbar and the Sundarijal Prison after the then king Mahendra dissolved the parliament and took control of the state power in 1960. He was released from confinement along with BP in 1968. Following the release from Sundarijal, he utilized the time for extending political organization while in exile in India. He returned home with BP in line with the policy of national unity and reconciliation. He was handed death sentence along with BP by the then Panchayat system and later was acquitted by the Special Court of all eight charges against him. Singh had played a leading role in the 1980’s student movement and the referendum as well.
Singh, known as a resolute and vibrant leader, is one of the most-popular leaders and the Supreme Commander of the 1990’s people’s movement.
(RSS)
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