Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Unfortunately, the king sacked the NC government in 1961,
with the help of the army. The situation turned chaotic as politﾭ
ical party members began to protest. The king's response was to
ban all political parties and jail most of the party leaders.
PANCHAYAT sYsTEM (1961-1990)
King Mahendra introduced a new constitution and the
pan-
chayat
(partyﾭless political) system in December 1962. The
panchayat system claimed to be democratic, at least in Nepal's
sociopolitical context. In actuality, the king ensured that he
held supreme power over the panchayat system, to which he
gave full support. Thus, in reality, it was direct authoritarian
rule by the king. Mahendra introduced the National Planning
Council, which, in turn, introduced four administrative tiers
throughout the country: national, regional, zonal, district, and
village panchayat.
Former leader Bishweshor Prasad Koirala was released from
jail and traveled to India, where he continued the movement
for democracy in his homeland. The panchayat system, meanﾭ
while, did contribute to some progress. Under its direction,
priority was given to malaria eradication, highway construcﾭ
tion, hydropower development, and expansion of irrigation.
It also promoted improvements in banking, foreign relations,
industrial growth, and resettlement in the Terai. A land reform
program eliminated the large Rana estates. Similarly, Muluki
Ain was replaced by a new legal code in 1963.
In 1972, Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ascended to the
throne. He was keenly aware of the dismal political situation
in his own country, but he also recognized the growing imporﾭ
tance of regional and global politics. Therefore, in 1980, he
offered a referendum to choose between a multiparty system
or a reformed democratic panchayat system. The referendum
results were in favor of the panchayat system. Though this
was a victory for the king, he quickly reestablished freedom of
speech and political activities. Bishweshor Prasad Koirala, who
