The 42nd Memorial Day of the first elected Prime Minister, BP Koirala, is being celebrated today by organizing a variety of programs across the country.
Born on Bhadra 24, 1971 BS, Koirala passed away on July 21, 1982. Founder of the Nepali Congress, BP Koirala had also established his fame as a proponent of the principles of 'nationalism, democracy and socialism' and 'national reconciliation'. Koirala became the first elected Prime Minister of Nepal in May, 1959 after the parliamentary elections of 1958.
He has also contributed significantly to the field of Nepali literature. A pioneer of psychological realism in Nepali literature, Koirala has to his credit one and a half dozen works including 'Tin Ghumti', 'Modi Ain', 'Hitler and Jew', 'Sumnima' and 'Narendradai' among others.
During his prime ministership, he pushed forward the land reform program of abolition of birta system and the notion that the tillers should own the land.
On December 15, 1960, after the popularly elected government was overthrown by the then King, Koirala and other leaders were imprisoned in the Singha Durbar. A month later, he was imprisoned in Sundarijal jail along with other leaders.
Koirala, who was released from prison for health reasons in 1968 BS, lived in exile in India for eight years. After analyzing that nationalism weakened while in exile in India and fighting for the restoration of democracy, he returned to Nepal with the policy of national unity and reconciliation on December 30, 1976.
The Sundarijal Prison, where the Prime Minister, Speaker of the Parliament and Ministers of the first elected government were imprisoned, has been transformed into the BP museum. The museum shares a collection of the important things of BP's life. In addition to the important materials of BP's life, the tanker used in the revolution of 2007, the plane of Nepal Airlines Corporation, which was hijacked by the Congress to raise funds for the revolution in 1972, are also kept in the museum.
On the occasion of BP Memorial Day, Nepali Congress, sister organizations and BP Museum Management Committee will organize a variety of events today, said Chief Secretary of the NC Office, Krishna Prasad Paudel.
Likewise, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has organized a program to distribute the BP Koirala National Award at the Prime Minister's Residence in Baluwatar later today.
