He was the focus of Nepalese politics during the 1950s, 1960s, and the 1970s. Even today, long after his death, people of Nepal feel that the restoration of multi-party democracy is a tribute to him. He was also one o the most important literary figures of Nepal. In politics he was a social democrat in literature he was an existentialist and better known for the introduction of psychoanalysis in Nepali literature. He said that he wrote his literary works to satisfy his anarchist impulses, impulses which revolted against the traditional order of things. But as a social democrat he was in search of a political order that was agreeable to every citizen of Nepal.
Such a multi-genius figure was Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, the first democratically elected Prime Minister in Nepal's history and a great social democrat of Asia. He was the son of Krishna Prrasad Koirala, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. During his time there were no open schools for the public. So, getting support from his father, he went to Banaras for study. When he was an active student at Banaras, the British Raj charged him and his brother Matrika Prasad Koirala for having contacts with terrorists in 1930. They were arrested and set free after three months. Due to this, his father wanted B.P. to study in Calcutta at Scottish church College. He also felt tht his son would receive better opportunities in a big city. B.P. unwillingly joined the college because personally he felt that the city was too big and far away from home. Towards the end of 1932, he completed his intermediate level of studies. His father again insisted that his son join Scottish church College in Calcutta. So for the second time, B.P. joined the college but left it soon after. In 1934, he completed his bachelor's degree in economics and politics from Banaras Hindu University.
After earning his degree at the Banaras Hindu University, he later took a degree in law at the University fo Calcutta in 1937 and practiced law for several years in Darjeeling. While still a student he became involved in the Indian nationalist movement, and in 1934 he joined the Indian National Congress. During World War II he became interned by the British in Dhanbad for two years (1942-1944). Following his release, with Indian indepedence imminent, he set about trying to bring change to Nepal. In 1947 he founded from Indian the solidly socialist Nepali National Congress, which in 1950 became the Nepali Congress Party. He was imprisoned in Nepal in 1947-1948 after returning to his home city in Biratnagar to lead a labor demonstration. A year later he was arrested again, but was soon released after a 27-day hunger strike, popular protests, and the intervention of Indian Prime Minister Jawaarlal Nehru. As a true activist, Koirala led the armed revolution of 1951 which overthrew Nepal's 104-year old Rana Regime, a narrow family-based oligarchy permitted by successive acquiescent kings to exercise all real power.
Koirala then concentrated on the developing Nepali political structure. Political parties were increasing in importance. King Mahendra responded with a new constitution enabling free parliamentary elections to take place in 1959. Only a fragmented parliament was expected, but Koirala's Nepali Congress scored a landslide, taking more than two-thirds of the seats in the lower house. After several weeks of significant hesitation, Mahendra asked Koirala to from a government, which took office in May 1959. Viewed from abroad, Koirala's debut as prime minister was a great success. His land reform measures deeply offended the landed aristocracy which had long dominated the army. His long-promised reform of the central bureaucracy outraged thousands of entrenched and powerful bureaucrats. The new government, the nation's first democratic experiment, thus managed to alienate all the traditional centers fo power. But, king Mahendra acted quickly, brutally, and finally on 15 December 1960, he suspended the constitution, dissolved parliament, dismissed the cabinet, imposed direct rule. Koirala, though he was suffering from throat cancer, was kept imprisoned without trial until 1968, when he was finally permitted to go and live in exile in Banaras.
But even after the succession of king birendra, Koirala was arrested immediately upon his return from exile in 1976 and charged with the capital offense of attempting armed revolution. Between the times he tried for a "national reconciliation." But during the student demonstrations in 1979, he was under house arrest. However, he welcomed King Birendra's call for national referendum. When the referendum results were announced to be in favor of Panchayat system, Koirala demanded a boycott of the 1981 elections.
While koirala is considered one of the most charismatic political lader of nepal, he was also one of the most well-read and thoughtful writers of Nepalese literature. He wrote short stories and novels, and some poems. Koirala began writhing short stories in Hindi. His first Tories were published in Banaras in Hansa, a Hindi literary magazine edited by Prem Chand. His first Nepali short story "Chandrabadan" was published in Sharada (a Nepali literary magazine) in 1935. Koirala was very good at depicting the charater and mind of women. four other stories of Koirala were included in Katha Kusum (1938). As a social realist, and a good psychoaanalyst, Koirala had established himself as one of the most important Nepali short story writers by 1938. Doshi Chasma (1949), Ti Ghumti (1968), Narendra Dai (1969), Sumnima (1969), Modiain (1980). Shweta Bhairavi (1983) and many more yet to be published.
As a politician, Koirala struggled throughout his life for the establishment of a multi-party democracy in his country. As a social democrat, Koirala differed with communists; as he of tern said man cannot live by bread alone. He believed that only socialism could guarantee political freedom and equal economic opportunities to the people. He said, "Socialism is the wave of the future." Despite obviously failing health and political strength, Koirala could still draw a great popular support. He addressed one of Nepal's largest public meetings in recent years in Kathmandu's ratna Park in January 1982. He died on July 21,1982 in Kathmandu. An estimated half a million people attended his funeral. Still now his philosophy stands as a pathfinder to social democrats.
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