A child was born 72 years ago in Dhikur Pokhari, about 18 kilometers from the tourist city of Pokhara. Born into a Brahmin family, the child was afraid to bathe in cold water. But his maternal uncles insisted that he should bathe. That child was Chhabilal Dahal, also known as Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’.

‘My maternal uncles used to tell me to bathe in the morning while reciting the Swasti mantra. I was afraid to bathe in cold water,’ Prachanda had said in an interview some time ago. The same child who was afraid to bathe in cold water took the illegal path of ‘seizing power through the barrel of a gun’ in 2052 BS after reaching the age of 40. He waged a bloody struggle for 10 years.

Since the establishment of the Communist Party in Nepal, there have been small exercises of 'people's rebellion', but the 'people's war' that began on Falgun 1, 2052, lasted 10 years. About 17,000 people died. In the history of the communist movement in Nepal, Dahal led the armed movement.

After leading the armed war, Dahal is a rebel leader who eventually left combat and landed at the country's executive prime minister's residence in Baluwatar and reached the leadership of Singha Dubar through the ballot box.

Dahal studied horse breeding at home for seven years and herded goats for seven years. He loved herding goats and playing in the forest. Later, he trained the Maoist fighters he led in the forest. In other words, he initially chose the forest for the rebellion. Perhaps he had a fascination with the forest since childhood. However, after the peace process, he abandoned the fascination with the jungle and decided to travel to Singha Dubar from competitive politics.

After the peace process, the commander of the armed war, Prachanda, gradually transformed into Pushpa Kamal. After that, he changed his legal and rebel name to Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. This name is intended to represent rebellion and peace. 'I like the name Prachanda more than Pushpa Kamal Dahal,' is his comment on his own name.

Since starting the armed struggle in Falgun 2052, he has been causing upheaval in Nepali politics. His political journey, which began by taking up arms against the state, has recently progressed by forming and destroying governments.

Dahal is still following the strategy of remaining at the center of Nepali political discussion by sometimes turning Marxism to the right or sometimes to the left. He has the ability to 'make a winning statement even after losing'. He has the ability to laugh while crying and cry while laughing.

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Dahal was born on November 26, 2011 in Dhikur Pokhari, Kaski. The eldest son of Muktiram and Bhavani, he received his primary education in Dhikur Pokhari, Kaski. He grew up in the routine of a farming family.

‘I was born in Dhikur Pokhari, Kaski, to a lower-class farming family. I used to herd goats for seven years. When I returned home, I would bring a bundle of firewood,’ he said, ‘My uncles introduced me to the alphabet at home. I learned to write in Kharipati.’

As it was not easy to make a living in Kaski throughout the year, his family migrated to Shivnagar, Chitwan in 2019. ‘I brought only 1,200 rupees from Kaski as ancestral property. Our father and great-grandfather (the father of current National Assembly Speaker Narayan Dahal) had a house nearby. Great-grandfather had a little more money than us,’ Dahal explained the reason for moving, ‘Great-grandfather gave our father a loan of 1,000 or 1,500 rupees, and we bought two and a half bighas of land.’ We settled in a neighborhood called Bhimsennagar in Shivnagar. That is where we still live. At that time, we could not afford to eat without suffering.’

He called America an imperialist during the armed war and worked for the American aid (USAID) after completing his B.Sc. Dahal did not go to school after moving to Chitwan. After grazing goats in Dhikur Pokhari, he herded buffaloes in Chitwan for two years. ‘After moving to Chitwan, I spent two years grazing buffaloes and helping my grandparents in the morning and evening with farming. Finally, in 2021, I was able to enroll in school,’ says Dahal.

He passed his SLC from Narayani Vidyamandir Secondary School, Shivnagar, Chitwan in 2026, did his ISC from Patan Multiple Campus in 2027-2029, and his B.Sc. in Agriculture from Rampur Agricultural Campus in 2031-2033. When he was studying in class 10, his name Chhabilal Dahal was changed to Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

What's in the name? Not so for Dahal. From 2038 to 2063, he used the pseudonyms Kalyan, Vishwas, Nirman while underground, and then when he prepared to start the armed war, he changed his name to Prachanda. He is known nationally/internationally by the name Prachanda. 'I feel proud to be known by the name Prachanda rather than Pushpa Kamal,' he has said.

Dahal, who migrated from Dhikur Pokhari to Shivnagar, Bharatpur, Chitwan in 2019, married Sita Poudel in Baisakh 2026 BS. Sita's patience, courage and support played a big role in his success in politics.

Dahal told the columnist that even though his wife Sita did not have much theoretical knowledge, she was determined to make a revolution from the bottom of her heart. 'Another thing, her trust in me was so much that it cannot be expressed in words. 'My husband would play a major role in Nepal's change,' she felt.

Dahal remembered Sita telling him in many crises, 'You have the ability to find a solution. Never give up. Family, society and the people are with you.' He said that even though Sita passed away two years ago, his trust was not broken. ‘She is no more now (Sita passed away in Ashar 2080), but her trust keeps coming to mind from time to time. She never backed down from supporting us in times of sorrow and happiness. Sita had strong patience and loyalty,’ he said.

He had criticized America as an imperialist during the armed conflict and worked for the American Aid (USAID) after completing his B.Sc. He had taught in Chitwan, Nawalparasi, and Gorkha for about five years.

He had taught at Narayani Vidya Mandir Secondary School, Shivnagar (2029), Danda Secondary School, Nawalparasi, and Bhimoday Secondary School, Arughat, Gorkha from 2033 to 035. In 2032, he had worked on an agricultural project at USAID.

‘After completing my B.Sc. in Agriculture, I went to Arughat, Gorkha to teach,’ he said, ‘I started to increase public relations while teaching at Arughat School. I taught school in the afternoon, taught adult education in the evening, and taught farmers how to make compost. At that time, I was considered the best teacher in the school. I taught science, mathematics, and English.’

While teaching at school, he had already developed a fascination with communist documents. ‘I used to read Lu Xun’s literature, Marx, Lenin, Mao’s books, and documents from Nepal. I felt that I had to read and digest everything. By 2035, I had learned a lot about the communist revolution,’ he said.

Political journey

Dahal, who started his political career in the Pushpalal group of the NCP in 2028 Bikram Sambat, formed the Marxist Study Group in 2031 B.S. along with Badal, Mitra Dawadi, Khem Bhandari and Pushpa Bhurtelas.

He entered the Fourth General Convention in 2034 B.S. and became a full-time cadre in 2035 B.S. and a member of the Chitwan District Committee in 2036 B.S. He was recommended for membership by leader Amik Sherchan.

‘My close neighbors Chandralal and Pushpalal Bhurtel were close to the Fourth General Convention (Mohan Bikram, Nirmal Lama). I started wondering which communist was right. I, Pushpalal Bhurtel, Ram Bahadur Thapa (Badal), Khem Bhandari and Mitraraj Dawadi went to the banks of the Narayani River and held a meeting. We formed a ‘study group’ to decide which communist was right,’ Prachanda said, ‘After that, we met with Amik Sherchan from Divyanagar, Chitwan. We met him through Mitra Raj Dawadi. In that meeting, I was impressed by Sherchan. He was determined to have a revolution. He also kept a gun at home. Thus, I became a member of the Fourth General Conference towards the end of 2032.’

Leader Amik Sherchan said that he gave me membership because he saw revolutionary spirit in Prachanda. ‘The party split in 2021. I was with Pushpalal. Pushpalal held a conference in 2025. At that time, after Tulsilal Amatya separated, we were working to protect democratic centralism. The leadership was in the lobby of Russian Khrushchev,’ he said, ‘We started a campaign to warn everyone by printing Nepali newspapers. We were trying to create a new democratic revolution.'

Even though Pushpalal Shrestha urged not to hold the conference, Sherchan remembered that they were in favor of the Fourth General Conference. 'Many friends are in jail. Let's not hold the conference now. It would be better to hold a unified conference. Pushpalal said that he would include friends later. We went to Ekdev Ale. We made many requests. He did not agree. We walked away without going to the conference hall,' he said. 'At that time, Prachanda was studying at the Agricultural Campus. In 2028 BS, a petition had to be received from Ranendra Barali. In 2031 BS, the Fourth General Conference was held. We joined the Fourth General Conference and Prachanda had gone to Gorkha to teach. After giving us the documents of the Fourth General Conference, he came with us. Prem Subedi took Prachanda's petition. After submitting it to me, I gave him membership in Falgun/Chait 2033. He became a Chitwan district member in 2035.’

In 2038, he became a regional bureau member and general secretary of the Central Committee of the All Nepal Youth Union and was elected as the central president of the union in 2040.’ ‘Prachanda became the president of the youth union because he was very combative,’ Sherchan said. In 2041, he was elected as a central member from the Fifth General Conference of the NCP (Mashal) and was elevated to a Politburo member in 2042.’

On 29 Baisakh 2043, while the final preparations for the national panchayat elections were underway, a political incident called the Sector Incident took place in Kathmandu. On the night of 14 Baisakh (morning of 15), some police posts in Kathmandu were attacked. The Sector Incident gave birth to a rebel leader in the history of the Nepali Communist Party, Prachanda.

Mashal had brought Mohan Vaidya to the party leadership at the fifth general convention held in Ayodhya, India in 2041 Mangsir. Mashal split. Singh, on the other hand, formed a new party called 'NCP Masal' under his own leadership after holding the 'Fourth National Conference' in Gorakhpur, India in 2042 Chaitra. That party became famous as Patalo Masal. That party still exists.

On 29 Baisakh 2043, the NCP Mashal led by Vaidya adopted a policy of boycotting the national panchayat elections by attacking some police posts. That incident, known as the Sector Scandal, displaced Mohan Vaidya from the leadership.

The central committee meeting of Mashal held in Chitwan in 2046 Kartik concluded that it was wrong to carry out the Sector Scandal. The position of the leader involved in the scandal was reduced by one level. Mohan Vaidya, Dev Gurung and others were demoted. Vaidya had reached the conclusion that he would step down as the general secretary, taking moral responsibility as the party chief.

After Dahal was not involved in the sector scandal, the scandal came as an opportunity for him. Vaidya proposed him for the party leadership (general secretary). Vaidya said that he gave Dahal the opportunity to become general secretary because he agreed with the idea of ​​carrying out a new democratic revolution.

After Vaidya left, Dahal was elected general secretary of Mashal in 2046. Mashal and the proletariat workers' organization formed the CPN Unity Center in 2048. He also became its general secretary. But, saying that they would use the elections, the United People's Front Nepal registered a party with the Election Commission and participated in the elections. In the 2048 election, it won eight seats in the House of Representatives and became the third party.

After the third extended meeting held after the first national conference of the then CPN Unity Center in 2051 BS with the aim of starting a 'people's war' in the country, the party's name was changed to CPN (Maoist). As the general secretary of CPN Maoist, he started the 'people's war' from 2052 BS. He became the chairman of CPN (Maoist) from the second national conference in 2057 BS.

After the Maoists formed the military organization 'People's Liberation Army', Dahal was declared the Supreme Commander of the People's Liberation Army Nepal in 2058 BS. Before that, peace talks between the then government of His Majesty and the Maoists had not been successful.

The first talks between the then government and the Maoists were held on 2058 BS. The government and the Maoists had announced a ceasefire. The first round of talks between the government and the Maoists took place on Bhadra 14, Bhadra 28, Bhadra 28, and Kartik 28, Bhadra 28. However, after all three rounds of talks failed to reach a conclusion, the Maoists announced the breakup of the talks on Mangsir 8, Bhadra 28, and attacked the Nepal Army barracks in Ghorahi, Dang. The government then declared a state of emergency in the country and set a price on the heads of leaders including Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Baburam Bhattarai, Mohan Vaidya.

Similarly, on Magh 16, Bhadra 2060, another ceasefire was declared and another round of talks between the government and the Maoists took place. Three rounds of talks were held on Baisakh 14, Baisakh 26, and Bhadra 1, but they failed. On Bhadra 11, Bhadra 2060, the Maoists broke off the talks again and launched a fierce attack on the districts around Kathmandu, saying they would ‘stab you in the back and hit you in the head’.

During the negotiations, Dahal also held talks with the royal court. He claims that he urged the king to leave the country to bring about a republic through peaceful means.

On November 20, 2009, a 12-point understanding was reached between seven political parties and the Maoists on ending the monarchy. The understanding stated that it was imperative to implement the concept of full democracy by ending the autocratic monarchy and establishing full democracy. The understanding stated that it was essential to implement the concept of full democracy by carrying out a progressive restructuring of the state to solve class, caste, gender, regional, etc. problems in all political, economic, social, and cultural sectors. Immediately after the understanding, the seven parties launched protests across the country, while the Maoists intensified their attacks on the government's security forces.

Dahal remained underground for 25 years until 2006. After the success of the 2006/07 People's Movement, Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala became the interim Prime Minister of the country. The government and the Maoists signed a ceasefire. On Asad 2, 2063, he gave up his underground life and went public.

After that, a series of talks were held between the government and the Maoists. After the people's movement was successful, the parliament was restored. That parliament decided to reduce the powers of the king. After the interim constitution was promulgated on Magh 1, 2063, the Maoists participated in the parliamentary system with 83 out of 330 seats in the interim legislature.

After phased talks between the government and the Maoists, Chairman Dahal agreed to a peace agreement amid disputes within the party. On Mangsir 5, 2063, the then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Dahal signed a comprehensive peace agreement. That agreement is the 'milestone' of Nepal's peace process. The Maoist fighters agreed to live in 28 camps.

Despite leading a ten-year armed war that resulted in thousands of deaths and more injuries, Dahal He says he has not slapped anyone.

The first Constituent Assembly election was held in 2064. In the direct election for 240 seats, the Maoists won 120 seats. Out of 335 seats, it won 100 seats in the proportional representation. Out of 26 ministers nominated by the Council of Ministers, 9 were from his side. He won 29 percent of the votes in the proportional representation. There were 601 seats in the Constituent Assembly.

The first Constituent Assembly declared a republic in 2065. Dahal, the supreme commander of the ten-year armed war, was elected as the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Nepal in 2065. He remained Prime Minister for the first time until 31 Asad 2066. He resigned after the then Army Chief Rukmangat Katuwal was executed.

After resigning from the government, the Maoists surrounded the capital, saying they would stage a 'people's uprising'. But since that was not possible, they focused on drafting the constitution. Dahal became Prime Minister for the second time on 19th Shrawan 2073 and for the third time from 10th Poush 2079 to 31st Asad 2081. He has formed electoral and other alliances with the Congress and UML to form the government.

He has been in continuous leadership for 36 years since 2046 BS. He was elected as the President at the National Conference held in Hetauda in 2069 BS and re-elected as the President at the Unity General Convention held in Biratnagar in 2070 BS.

After the party merger between the CPN (UML) and the CPN (Maoist Center) on 30th Jestha 2075, he and KP Sharma Oli became the Presidents. While the power struggle between the two chairmen was raging, the CPN (UML) and the CPN (Maoist Center) returned to their previous positions after the Supreme Court's decision on Falgun 23, 2077. Prachanda became the chairman of the CPN (Maoist Center) again.

He was re-elected as the chairman at the general convention in Poush, 2078. Despite the demand for leadership transfer, it was not heard. He has been in continuous leadership for 36 years since 2046.

Dahal, the coordinator of the Nepali Communist Party, which was formed after the merger with the CPN Unified Socialist Party in Mangsir in 2082, has already united with two dozen parties and groups. The Central Committee believes that he has set a record by uniting with 2,500 and two dozen parties and groups.

Even after coming to the parliamentary tour, the Maoists had put Dahal forward as the acting president in the Constituent Assembly elections in 2064. His dream of building a 'New Nepal' had also become very famous. This attractive slogan appealed to the voters. The Maoists became the largest party. But gradually Dahal transformed into parliamentary politics.

He himself, who came to change Nepal, transformed into parliamentary politics. He looked like anyone else in the parliament, government and on the streets.

In the first Constituent Assembly election, he was elected from Kathmandu 10 and Rolpa 2. In the second Constituent Assembly election, 2070, he was elected from Siraha Constituency No. 5 and defeated from Kathmandu 10. In the House of Representatives election held on Mangsir 21, 2074, he was elected from Chitwan Constituency No. 3.

In the House of Representatives election held on Mangsir 4, 2079, he was elected from Gorkha 2. He won from Gorkha 2 at the request of former Maoist Vice-Chairman Baburam Bhattarai. But after his victory, the bitterness between the two leaders increased.

After the dissolution of parliament due to the Genji movement, he has been a candidate from East Rukum for the 21 Falgun 2082 elections.

After the constitution of Nepal was made in 2072, he got involved in parliamentary politics. After that, he became the Prime Minister twice and repeatedly included the party in the government.

‘May the future generation remember him as the leader of a party with great sacrifices, sacrifices and records’

Dahal, the coordinator of the Nepali Communist Party, said that he wanted the future generation to remember him as the leader who built the constitution and established federalism and a republic because of the sacrifices he made during the struggle.

‘After the people’s war, the Constituent Assembly elections and the constitution, the oppressed classes and communities have become empowered to a large extent. They have gained self-respect. The people have achieved sovereignty. A republic has been established in the country,' Dahal told Kantipur, 'I want future generations to remember me as a party that made great sacrifices, sacrifices and record-breaking work for this and as its main leader.'

The first document Dahal saw was Illustrated China. 'When I was in the 10th grade, I came to know that there was a communist regime in China.' The village teacher Chandraraj Bhurtel was a communist. He used to say, 'The communist system in China is good, we should too.' That had a slight impact on me,' he said, 'At that time, a magazine called 'Illustrated China' was distributed in schools. Mao's Red Book also reached villages. I saw a large photo of Mao for the first time in the Illustrated China magazine. I was curious about what kind of abilities Mao had. Later, as the communist movement in Nepal was being advanced, a party was formed in the name of Mao and a 10-year people's war was waged.'

He said that it was Mao's inspiration that made it possible to bring about such a great revolution and change in Nepal. 'That is why Mao has left an indelible mark on me,' he said.

Dahal says that it was easy for him to become a communist because he lived in a communist settlement. 'In Shivnagar, the Congress had influence over the canal, while the village where we lived was under the canal.' I sometimes wonder - if I had a house on the canal, would I have been a Congressman or a Communist? Since I lived in a communist settlement, my inclination automatically turned towards the Communists,' he said.

After becoming the general secretary of the Unity Center in Kathmandu, he says that his children were not able to pursue higher education as their families moved to various cities in India during the armed conflict.

'In 2051, preparations were underway for the people's war.' I became the general secretary of the CPN-U Unity Center at the general convention held in Madi, Chitwan. Then we moved to Narayanghat with our children and then to Kathmandu. My wife Sita always supported me – not only as a family, but also in advancing in the political field,’ he said, ‘After we moved to Kathmandu, my elder daughter Gyanu and younger daughter Ganga started studying in a government school in Patan. They studied there till SLC. After the People’s War started, their studies could not progress.’

When the armed war started, their daughters Renu and Ganga were married on the same day. ‘When the People’s War started, my younger daughter Renu was studying with her maternal uncle. Later, Ganga and Renu got married at once in a hotel in Lucknow,’ he recalled, ‘My son Prakash initially studied in Kathmandu. Later, he stayed at the residence of Renu’s father-in-law TB Pathak in Delhi. Prakash became interested in war rather than studies and later participated in the People’s War. Prakash also died on the eve of the Mangsir 2074 elections.'

Dahal had faced a lot of financial crisis when he was young. Born into a farming family, his family did not grow enough food for the whole year.'

'When I passed my SLC, my father was not at home.' The production of two and a half bighas of land made it difficult to feed us. The family was large. When we came to Chitwan from Kaski, there were five people in the family, and after coming to Chitwan, three children were born,' Dahal said, 'We did not have enough food throughout the year.' He went there around 2026 BS when he passed my SLC because he knew that land was available in Bardiya.'

Until the time he passed his SLC, he did not know how many communist parties there were in Nepal. 'I knew roughly that the communists were Pushpalal Shrestha and the Congress was BP Koirala.' "I didn't know that there were many parties within the Communist Party," he said. "I gradually learned about it after becoming a party member. Since Ruplal was in the Pushpalal group, I was also a member of that group. Some time after I became a member, Rohit (Narayanman Bijukchhe) and Ruplal left the Pushpalal group. I also became a member of the Ruplal group."

Dahal decided to become a 'whole-timer' after teaching for two and a half years in Gorkha. "Khambasingh Kunwar inspired me to become a 'whole-timer'." He passed away last year. He was also a leader of the Khawas clan," he said. "I was extremely active in politics. We would walk from Gorkha Arughat to Palungtar at night to form committees. My parents were worried that if their son, who had just started earning money and was a whole-timer, entered politics, it would be difficult." I was advised to become the manager of the Agricultural Development Bank.'

He left his permanent job and returned to Chitwan in 2036 to join active politics.'

'I taught at Parvatipur School in Chitwan for some time. That was when I decided to become a 'whole-timer'. After that, my first work area was Madi in Chitwan and my second was Nawalparasi (Nawalpur). That was after the 2036 movement,' he said. 'Around 2036, I remembered Mohan Bikram Singh, the current General Secretary of the Nepal Communist Party (Masal), being called Mao at the time, 'Mohanji was called the Mao of Nepal. Nirmal Lama was called Chao. Both Mao and Chao are the founding leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. In addition, Rishi Devkota of Sindhuli was called 'Azad'.'

The first-level leaders who started Dahal's armed war are not with him at present. ‘I formed a team of Baidya, Baburam Bhattarai, Ram Bahadur Thapa, Posta Bahadur Bogati and others before we entered the People’s War,’ he says.

Baidya is currently the leader of the Revolutionary Communist Party, Baburam Bhattarai of the Progressive Democratic Party, Ram Bahadur Thapa of the UML Vice President and Posta Bahadur Bogati have passed away.

‘Curious Dahal immediately trusts others’

Dahal, the ‘player’ of Nepali politics, is a leader who can do things right and left. His name also comes to mind as a leader who cannot hide things for a long time.

When he was made public in Asad 2063, many praised his ‘charming’ personality. With his love for food and clothing, he is an expert in channeling the flow of politics in his favor.

Amik Sherchan, one of Dahal’s mentors, said that he has been extremely curious since his student days. ‘Prachandaji is a very curious person. If there is an international incident, he has a habit of asking,’ he said. ‘He has a habit of accepting new things and advancing issues that he believes in.’

Sherchan, a fellow traveler since 2033, finds Dahal emotional. ‘He is emotional. If someone talks to him in a slightly weaker way, he will believe and be influenced. That is why he is betrayed from time to time. I also see a weakness in not being able to withstand some pressure,’ said Sherchan.

Sherchan believes that Dahal is a leader who will not hesitate to compromise even after fighting a ten-year war. ‘Prachanda has a policy of strategic use. If there is a small achievement, why not?’ he said. ‘If there is an achievement in collaboration with someone, he uses it as dialectics.’ In his eyes, making alliances with parties is also a policy of revolutionary use.'

Although armed war was designed by Mohan Vaidya, he believes that Dahal is a hero because he is a dynamic leader. 'He is a person with a very dynamic mindset. He took the situation into his own hands by leading a people's war,' he said. 'Going into armed war was designed by Mohan Vaidyaji.'

Even though Dahal's lifestyle was questioned after the peace process, Sherchan says that he was a leader who always stood in favor of the working class. 'I saw him loving the farmers and the working class when he was young,' he said. 'He has a nature to get along with friends. Even if there are differences, he can easily talk. That is why those who have different opinions in the party did not take action against Vaidya and Mohan Vikram.'

Colleague Baburam Bhattarai said that Dahal has been accusing him of moving towards power-centric, opportunistic politics. Mohan Vaidya has accused him of surrendering in the peace process, betraying the army integration, and merging with parliamentary politics. He portrays Dahal as a representative of right-wing opportunism and revisionism.

Food and clothing: Controversial from time to time

When Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai were seen in public in 2063 BS, they were seen in gray shirts and suits. The rebel leaders were also praised when they were seen in ordinary clothes.

After coming to public life, his lifestyle gradually changed. Dahal became the Prime Minister after the Maoists emerged as the first party in the 2064 Constituent Assembly elections. He did not believe in religious rituals and moved to the Prime Minister's residence in Baluwatar after performing pujas. As per the tradition of the past, a cot was bought for him. But that cot became controversial. It was said that it was bought for one lakh rupees from a famous furniture shop in Kathmandu. The leader of the proletariat was criticized for sleeping on an expensive bed. Later, Dahal clarified that he did not know the price of the bed.