Keshar Jung Rayamajhi
Encyclopedia
Keshar Jung Rayamajhi is a Nepal
ese politician. He was a leading figure in the communist movement in the country, but later turned into a royalist
. Rayamajhi hails from a landlord Chetri family in Tansen
, Palpa district
.
In 1947 Rayamajhi became a founding member of the Nepalese 'Marxist Study Circle' in Calcutta. In 1948, the group was reconstructed as the 'Progressive Study Circle' and Rayamajhi became its secretary. During his stay in Calcutta, Rayamajhi's political mentor was the CPI
leader Ratna Lal Brahmin.
At the first congress of the Communist Party of Nepal
, held in 1954, Rayamajhi was elected to the Central Committee
of the party. In September 1956, the general secretary of the party, Manmohan Adhikari, travelled to China
to take part in the congress of the Communist Party of China
. As Pushpa Lal Shrestha
and D.P. Adhikari declined to take the role of acting general secretary, Rayamajhi expressed his interest in taking over as acting general secretary of the party. Directly after Rayamajhi became acting general secretary of the party, groupism began to appear amongst the party ranks. The party became divided into a reformist camp (led by Rayamajhi) and a revolutionary camp (led by Pushpa Lal Shrestha).
During the second party congress held in 1957, Manmohan Adhikari was undergoing treatment for skin disease in China. In his absence, Rayamajhi was elected general secretary of the party. At the congress, Rayamajhi argued for supporting constitutional monarchy
. Soon after the congress, accusations that Rayamajhi had secret links to the royal palace began to surface within the party.
Rayamajhi was one of the CPN candidates that contested the 1959 parliamentary election
, but was defeated in his constituency. In the election the party got less than 4% of the seats in the parliament. Rayamajhi received severe criticism for the electoral defeat of the party after the election.
In November 1960 Rayamajhi travelled to Moscow
to take part in the International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties. During Rayamajhi's stay in the Soviet Union
the King retook direct rule in Nepal. Rayamajhi sent a message from Moscow stating that the dissolution of the parliament was a 'progressive step'. Under the new order in Nepal the CPN was banned. After his return to Nepal in January 1961, Rayamajhi called for lifting the ban on political parties. But at the same time he continued for argue in favour of guided democracy and constitutional monarchy.
In March 1961 a plenum of the party was held in Darbhanga
(India
). The plenum decided to remove Rayamajhi from the position as general secretary. Instead a central secretariat consisting of Rayamajhi, D.P. Adhikari and Shambhuram Shrestha was formed to run the party.
In April 1962 the sector of CPN led by Tulsi Lal Amatya and Pushpa Lal Shrestha held a third party congress, which the sector around Rayamajhi did not recognize. The congress decided to expel Rayamajhi from the party. Rayamajhi and his followers continued to function as a party though. Effectively the CPN was divided into two separate parties, a CPN led by Amatya
and a CPN led by Rayamajhi. The Rayamajhi group held its own third party congress in 1967, and elected Rayamajhi as general secretary.
In 1979 a section of the party, led by Bishnu Bahadur Manandhar, revolted against Rayamajhi's membership in the royal Rajsabha and his soft line towards the monarchy. Manandhar eventually left the party in 1981, taking a large section of its membership with him. Two years later the party held its fifth congress, which elected Rayamajhi chairman and Krishna Raj Burma general secretary. In September 1983 Rayamajhi was expelled from the party by Burma for being a royalist. Rayamajhi then reorganised his followers into a new CPN, in which he was elected general secretary. Eventually this new CPN also expelled him around 1986.
Rayamajhi was included in the interim government after the 1990 Jana Andolan ('People's Movement') as Minister of Education. He was also appointed to the three-member Cabinet Committee to oversee the constitutional proposal of the Constitution Recommendations Commission, representing the King.
Rayamajhi contested the Kathmandu-3 constituency in the 1991 parliamentary election, on behalf of his new party Janata Dal (Samajbadi Prajatantrik)
. Rayamajhi finished eight in the constituency.
Rayamajhi went on to become the chairman of the Royal Privy Council. In his function as chairman of the council, Rayamajhi oversaw the dramatic change in the royal house that followed the Nepalese royal massacre
and the coronation of Gyanendra Shah.
On November 13, 2002, Maoist rebels carried out an armed attack on the residence of Rayamajhi. In November 2003, Maoists attacked his ancestral home.
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
ese politician. He was a leading figure in the communist movement in the country, but later turned into a royalist
Monarchism
Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment, preservation, or restoration of a monarchy as a form of government in a nation. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government out of principle, independent from the person, the Monarch.In this system, the Monarch may be the...
. Rayamajhi hails from a landlord Chetri family in Tansen
Tansen
Mia Tansen is considered among the greatest composer-musicians in Hindustani classical music. He was an extraordinarily gifted vocalist, known for a large number of compositions, and also an instrumentalist who popularized and improved the rabab .He was among the Navaratnas at the court of the...
, Palpa district
Palpa District
-Village Development Committee :*Archale*Argali*Bahadurpur*Bakamalang*Baldengadhi*Bandi Pokhara*Barangdi old name archale barangdi name came from barandi khola on the bank of this river the famous rani mahal is situated*Bhairabsthan*Bhuwan...
.
In 1947 Rayamajhi became a founding member of the Nepalese 'Marxist Study Circle' in Calcutta. In 1948, the group was reconstructed as the 'Progressive Study Circle' and Rayamajhi became its secretary. During his stay in Calcutta, Rayamajhi's political mentor was the CPI
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
leader Ratna Lal Brahmin.
At the first congress of the Communist Party of Nepal
Communist Party of Nepal
The Communist Party of Nepal was founded in Calcutta, India, on April 29, 1949. CPN was formed to struggle against the autocratic Rana regime, feudalism and imperialism. The founding general secretary was Pushpa Lal Shrestha....
, held in 1954, Rayamajhi was elected to the Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
of the party. In September 1956, the general secretary of the party, Manmohan Adhikari, travelled to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to take part in the congress of the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
. As Pushpa Lal Shrestha
Pushpa Lal Shrestha
Pushpa Lal Shrestha was the founding general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal as well as the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal ....
and D.P. Adhikari declined to take the role of acting general secretary, Rayamajhi expressed his interest in taking over as acting general secretary of the party. Directly after Rayamajhi became acting general secretary of the party, groupism began to appear amongst the party ranks. The party became divided into a reformist camp (led by Rayamajhi) and a revolutionary camp (led by Pushpa Lal Shrestha).
During the second party congress held in 1957, Manmohan Adhikari was undergoing treatment for skin disease in China. In his absence, Rayamajhi was elected general secretary of the party. At the congress, Rayamajhi argued for supporting constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
. Soon after the congress, accusations that Rayamajhi had secret links to the royal palace began to surface within the party.
Rayamajhi was one of the CPN candidates that contested the 1959 parliamentary election
Nepalese legislative election, 1959
General elections were held in Nepal on 18 February 1959. The result was a victory for the Nepali Congress, which won 74 of the 109 seats. Voter turnout was 42.0%.-Results:...
, but was defeated in his constituency. In the election the party got less than 4% of the seats in the parliament. Rayamajhi received severe criticism for the electoral defeat of the party after the election.
In November 1960 Rayamajhi travelled to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to take part in the International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties. During Rayamajhi's stay in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
the King retook direct rule in Nepal. Rayamajhi sent a message from Moscow stating that the dissolution of the parliament was a 'progressive step'. Under the new order in Nepal the CPN was banned. After his return to Nepal in January 1961, Rayamajhi called for lifting the ban on political parties. But at the same time he continued for argue in favour of guided democracy and constitutional monarchy.
In March 1961 a plenum of the party was held in Darbhanga
Darbhanga
Darbhangā is a twin city and a municipal corporation and the capital city of the Darbhanga district and Darbhanga Division in the state of Bihar, India. It is one of the most important districts of North Bihar situated in the very heart of Mithilanchal. According to the latest 2011 census, the...
(India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
). The plenum decided to remove Rayamajhi from the position as general secretary. Instead a central secretariat consisting of Rayamajhi, D.P. Adhikari and Shambhuram Shrestha was formed to run the party.
In April 1962 the sector of CPN led by Tulsi Lal Amatya and Pushpa Lal Shrestha held a third party congress, which the sector around Rayamajhi did not recognize. The congress decided to expel Rayamajhi from the party. Rayamajhi and his followers continued to function as a party though. Effectively the CPN was divided into two separate parties, a CPN led by Amatya
Communist Party of Nepal (Amatya)
Communist Party of Nepal, also referred to as Communist Party of Nepal was a communist party in Nepal. It emerged out of a split in the original Communist Party of Nepal in 1962...
and a CPN led by Rayamajhi. The Rayamajhi group held its own third party congress in 1967, and elected Rayamajhi as general secretary.
In 1979 a section of the party, led by Bishnu Bahadur Manandhar, revolted against Rayamajhi's membership in the royal Rajsabha and his soft line towards the monarchy. Manandhar eventually left the party in 1981, taking a large section of its membership with him. Two years later the party held its fifth congress, which elected Rayamajhi chairman and Krishna Raj Burma general secretary. In September 1983 Rayamajhi was expelled from the party by Burma for being a royalist. Rayamajhi then reorganised his followers into a new CPN, in which he was elected general secretary. Eventually this new CPN also expelled him around 1986.
Rayamajhi was included in the interim government after the 1990 Jana Andolan ('People's Movement') as Minister of Education. He was also appointed to the three-member Cabinet Committee to oversee the constitutional proposal of the Constitution Recommendations Commission, representing the King.
Rayamajhi contested the Kathmandu-3 constituency in the 1991 parliamentary election, on behalf of his new party Janata Dal (Samajbadi Prajatantrik)
Janata Dal (Samajbadi Prajatantrik)
Janata Dal is a political party in Nepal. The party is led by Keshar Jung Rayamjhi, a historic communist leader who turned into an ally of the royal house....
. Rayamajhi finished eight in the constituency.
Rayamajhi went on to become the chairman of the Royal Privy Council. In his function as chairman of the council, Rayamajhi oversaw the dramatic change in the royal house that followed the Nepalese royal massacre
Nepalese royal massacre
The Nepalese royal massacre occurred on Friday, June 1, 2001, at a house in the grounds of the Narayanhity Royal Palace, then the residence of the Nepalese monarchy, when the heir to the throne, Prince Dipendra killed nine members of his family and himself. However, it hasn't been proven that...
and the coronation of Gyanendra Shah.
On November 13, 2002, Maoist rebels carried out an armed attack on the residence of Rayamajhi. In November 2003, Maoists attacked his ancestral home.