Iron Man Ganeshman Singh

Siddhi B Ranjitkar

Nepalis have been celebrating the 14th Ganeshman Memorial Day in this month. Nepalis have not forgotten the contributions Ganeshman Singh has made to bring the political changes that in turn have brought the positive changes in the lives of the Nepalis in general. So, Nepalis have kept his contributions afresh even though it has been 14 years since he has left this mundane world for the eternal heavenly abode. He has been known as the iron man because of his characters of never bowing down to the corrupt absolute rulers and his determination to set up democracy no matter what sacrifices he has to make. He has been the supreme commander of the people’s movement in 1990 and the universal leader of the Nepalis in general with the unlimited power Nepalis have entrusted him at that time.

In 1990 Nepalis have given Ganeshman Singh unconditional and unlimited power to lead them to tear down the corrupt system called Panchayat the then absolute monarch has presided over. Then, Ganeshman Singh has become the supreme commander of Nepalis to topple the deceitful leaders and the monarch that have sucked the blood of Nepalis for their luxurious lives for living beyond the means of Nepalis consequently keeping them in the perpetual poverty.

Ganeshman Singh has become the consensus leader of both the Nepali Congress (NC) and communist cadres. He has asked all the splintered communist parties to become united and join the NC cadres to form a united front for fighting against the mighty Pancha rulers and their boss the then king. The peaceful movement led by Ganeshman Singh has gradually undermined the foundation of the Panchayat regime and then shook it to make it fall down during the 49 days of the peaceful movement.

Even though Ganeshman Singh has been in the hospital due to his fragile health at that time he has successfully commanded the people’s movement in 1990. The corrupt king and his accomplices have used all sorts of trick on him to agree their terms and conditions for stopping the people’s movement but Ganeshman Singh never has given in and has forced the absolute ruler Birendra to bow down to his demand for dissolving the corrupt Panchayat and reinstate the multi-party democratic system.

After the fall of the Panchayat under the pressure of the people’s movement, the then absolute King Birendra has offered Ganeshman Singh to take the office of prime minister but Ganeshman Singh has flatly rejected the offer made by the king and said to the king, “From now on, the people will choose the prime minister not the king.” As the representative of the people, Ganeshman Singh has chosen Krishna Prasad Bhattarai as the interim prime minister giving him the responsibility for promulgating a new constitution and then holding general elections to elect a new parliament. The king has quietly followed the people’s wishes.

Not accepting the most powerful office of Prime Minister but engaging in institutionalizing the democratic institutions and culture in the country, Ganeshman Singh has shown his sincerity to the people but his unscrupulous colleagues have exploited his liberal mind and his determination to stay above the party politics. Consequently, he has to suffer from the humiliation at the last moment of his life but for the great man like Ganeshman Singh, such humiliation has enhanced his status as the sincere politician. So, most of the sincere politicians believe that Ganeshman Singh has been the only sincere politician in Nepal so far. If we can have a few of such Ganeshman Singh like politicians we would not have such political squabbling over power rather would have for institutionalizing the gains of the people’s movement of 2006.

Ganeshman Singh has been for uprooting the absolute rule of the kings in Nepal but his colleagues have not allowed him to materialize his wishes. In fact, the NC has three factions that have three different notions. Ganeshman Singh and his followers have firmly believed that Nepalis would not be able to improve their lives as long as they have the monarchy, as the monarch and his circle of rulers would always exploit the labor of Nepalis for their luxurious lives. So, they have been always for removing the monarchy. The next group in the NC has believed that they would not be able to run the administration without the institution of the monarchy. They have the phobia of the communists taking over the power if they opted for removing the monarchy. The third group has been for keeping the monarchy perpetually. Ganeshman Singh has been in minority in the NC and has to follow the majority. So, his party NC has had in its statute the provision for the constitutional monarchy. Some of the NC members belonging to the third category have quit the party after the NC has deleted the provision for the constitutional monarchy from its statute for participating in the declaration of Nepal a republic in 2008.

Prevailing concept among the majority of the NC leaders of how they could run the administration without the monarchy has prevented Nepalis from tearing down even the Panchayat system in 1979. Nepalis have risen up against the brutality of the Panchayat rulers and their boss King Birendra in 1979. Nepalis have been prepared to destroy the Panchayat at any cost even at that time but the then NC leader BP Koirala and certainly next to him Ganeshman Singh have stopped the people’s movement prematurely and accepted the offer of the then King Birendra for holding the referendum on choosing between the improved Panchayat system and the multi-party democracy and then the rigged results of the referendum that have gone in favor of the improved Panchayat. They have not protested against the then government headed by the most unscrupulous politician called Surya B Thapa for manipulating the results of the referendum in favor of the improved Panchayat system.

Due to the unfavorable international political situation at that time, Ganeshman Singh with his one of the political colleagues BP Koirala has to come to Nepal with the slogan of reconciling with the then King’s absolute rule in 1977 despite the fact that they could launch both armed and peaceful movement from the exile. Ganeshman Singh has had to suppress his emotion for launching the fight to the finish people’s movement against the absolute rule because of the unfavorable international political situation and of his colleagues’ no faith in such a movement. They believe that such a movement is the extreme case that they don’t believe in it.

Ganeshman Singh has been not only a sincere politician but also the sincere minister, too. After the general elections held in 1959, Nepalis have given the NC the absolute mandate to run the administration and to institutionalize the democratic institutions and then the principles and norms of democracy. Ganeshman Singh has become the Minister for Works and Transport under the Prime Minister BP Koirala. One day, Ganeshman Singh has gone to the office of Prime Minister BP Koirala and told him the problem of disciplining the construction contractors and put forward the measures Ganeshman Singh has wanted to take for stopping any sorts of financial and construction irregularities but Prime Minister BP Koirala has remained silent to the proposal for curbing the corruption. Consequently, the corruption has reached the peak during the term of office of Prime Minister BP Koirala. That has been one of the main reasons that have made the then King Mahendra easy to kill democracy and impose his absolute rule introducing the no-party Panchayat system in the early 1960s.

Ganeshman Singh has stood for the rule of law at all the time but his colleagues have always forced him to breach it. Leaders of the political party led by Ganeshman Singh and his colleague BP Koirala and of the political party led by Subarna Shamsher in the mid 1940s have agreed on merging the two political parties into a single party called Nepali Congress. At that time, they have agreed on accepting the name of the political party led by Subarna Shamsher and the flag of the political party led by Ganeshman Singh and BP Koirala for the new party. However, BP Koirala has accepted both the party flag and the name of the party led by Subarna Shamsher. Ganeshman Singh has been furious with BP Koirala at his announcement but could not do much in the majority hold of BP Koirala. However, BP Koirala has given the explanation of Subarna Shamsher has already made a large number of flags so he has to accept the flag going against the decision of the party on choosing a flag.

Ganeshman Singh has been always a sincere and disciplined leader and worker, and accepted any task his party leadership has assigned him. BP Koirala has exploited his sincerity and discipline and put his life at risk sending him to the mission that has less effect on challenging the most corrupt family rule of Ranas. Ganeshman Singh has just escaped to India from the prison in Kathmandu in the late 1940s but BP Koirala has assigned him to go back to Kathmandu to lead the movement against the Rana regime. Mr. Koirala has known that Ganeshman Singh would not be able to remain underground and escape the arrest in Kathmandu but Koirala has sent Ganeshman Singh back to Kathmandu only for landing him again in jail in 1940s.

Ganeshman Singh could have the most comfortable life that is enviable to all people even of his status. He has the family background of serving at the highest level of the Rana administration. His family has enjoyed every privilege the Ranas have enjoyed. However, Ganeshman Singh has sacrificed all sorts of the luxuries he could enjoy and has plunged into the unknown sea of the struggle against the brutal Rana regime. He has lived the life of struggle for democracy and for the people to improve their lives. So, Nepalis could not forget Ganeshman Singh but would adore him as one of the political deities.

September 21, 2011