Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
signed between Nepal and the British government, which guarﾭ
anteed Nepal's independence. This historic event was one of the
most important milestones in Nepalese history; it was the first
time Nepal had been involved in a conflict far beyond its own
border. Of course, it also helped to solidify the Rana dictatorﾭ
ship in Nepal.
POLITICAL PARTIEs
After India became independent in 1947, a new wave of politiﾭ
cal awareness appeared in Nepal and among Nepalese political
figures. Newspapers strongly supported a move toward democﾭ
racy and were very critical of the Rana regime. There were
outbreaks of rioting. The government cracked down, resulting
in hundreds of people being arrested and imprisoned. Many
others fled the country, where they could continue their fight
against the Rana dictatorship from a safer haven in India.
India's independence obviously had weakened the Rana dicﾭ
tatorship in Nepal. Soon, the exiled Nepalese began to unite.
They formed the Nepali National Congress (NNC), a political
party that was officially dedicated to the establishment of a
democratic government in Nepal. To achieve this, of course, the
Rana regime had to be destroyed.
Reacting to the growing crisis in Nepal, Prime Minister
Padma Shamser announced some reforms, such as Nepal's first
constitution in 1948. Such measures failed to silence critics of
the government. Shamser's successor, autocratic Prime Minisﾭ
ter Mohan Shamser, banned political parties and suppressed
progressive activities in the country. This led to the establishﾭ
ment of the Nepali Congress (NC), a party formed in 1950
by merging the Nepali Democratic Congress and the NNC.
The Nepali Congress formally decided to conduct an armed
struggle to overthrow the Rana government.
Late in 1950, King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah, who himﾭ
self was against the Rana regime, took asylum in the Indian
embassy in Kathmandu. The Mukti Sena (Liberation Army)
