During the State of Emergency in 2001, many of his political opponents used to propagate that there was no real Prachanda.
When Prachanda’s sketches were published in different newspapers during the intense insurgency period, many even were not able to guess what type of person he was.
Fierce attacks by Maoist People’s Army on the government army and police camps made many to think that Prachanda could be someone with a fierce appearance and cruel nature.
But many expressed their surprise over their previous guess at Prachanda’s appearance and behavior when he emerged at Baluwatar on 16 June 2006 giving up his 26-year underground life.
He was there to enter the peace process after the 19-day April uprising facilitated his entry, especially attributable to the 12-point agreement signed between his party CPN-Maoist and the Seven Party Alliance fighting peacefully for the restoration of democracy after the then King Gyanendra took over power on 1 February 2005.
Anirban Roy, a 38-year-old Indian writer has written Prachanda’s biography entitled "Prachanda: The Unknown Revolutionary" published by Kathmandu-based Mandala Books.
The writer, though he has not met Prachanda personally and is not much interested in politics or Marxism, has been able to present Prachanda to the public.
He was just addressing the public curiosity on the basis of his timely search for relevant details.
However, people were eager to see Prachanda publicly. They were able to do so on 2 June 2007 when Prachanda delivered the first public speech at the Open Theatre amidst an unprecedented mass gathering in Kathmandu. Many came to see and hear Prachanda out of their utter curiosity.
His personal details have been highlighted in the Nepali mainstream media after he was elected the prime minister.
In fact, his determination, hard-working and adoptable nature nourished him in a way to climb up the political ladder during his two-decade political career.
The ideology he adopted molded him. His family did have no influence on his political growth. His party subordinates often argue that he synthesized Marxism-Leninism-Maoism to suit home politics.
It is true that he grew from a local teacher to the historical prime minister after long struggles. But his political journey certainly constructed a pragmatic route to power.
As the prime minister, Prachanda is in the people’s laboratory now. One will be able to know more about him through his performance. It is mainly up to him to prove himself.
Leave Your Comments