->Vusan at 07:26, 30 November 2021

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{{Short description|Nepalese politician (1924–2010)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[Nepal Ratna Man Padavi|Nepal Ratna]]
| name = Girija Prasad Koirala गिरिजाप्रसाद कोइराला
| image=File:The Prime Minister of Nepal, Shri Girija Prasad Koirala being seen off by the Union Minister of Water Resources, Prof. Saif-ud-din Soz at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on April 06, 2007 (cropped).jpg
| caption= Koirala in 2007
| office = Acting [[President of Nepal|Head of State of Nepal]]
| term_start = 15 January 2007
| term_end = 23 July 2008
| predecessor = [[Gyanendra of Nepal|Gyanendra]] ([[List of monarchs of Nepal|King]])
| successor = [[Ram Baran Yadav]] ([[President of Nepal|President]])
| office1 = 30th [[List of Prime Ministers of Nepal|Prime Minister of Nepal]]
| monarch1 = [[Gyanendra of Nepal|King Gyanendra]]
| deputy1 = [[Ram Chandra Poudel]]
| term_start1 = 25 April 2006
| term_end1 = 18 August 2008
| predecessor1 = [[Sher Bahadur Deuba]]
| successor1 = [[Prachanda|Pushpa Kamal Dahal]]
| monarch2 = [[Birendra of Nepal|King Birendra]] [[Dipendra of Nepal|King Dipendra]] [[Gyanendra of Nepal|King Gyanendra]]
| term_start2 = 22 March 2000
| term_end2 = 26 July 2001
| predecessor2 = [[Krishna Prasad Bhattarai]]
| successor2 = [[Sher Bahadur Deuba]]
| monarch3 = [[Birendra of Nepal|King Birendra]]
| term_start3 = 15 April 1998
| term_end3 = 31 May 1999
| predecessor3 = [[Surya Bahadur Thapa]]
| successor3 = [[Krishna Prasad Bhattarai]]
| monarch4 = [[Birendra of Nepal|King Birendra]]
| term_start4 = 26 May 1991
| term_end4 = 30 November 1994
| predecessor4 = [[Krishna Prasad Bhattarai]]
| successor4 = [[Man Mohan Adhikari]]
| office5 = [[President of Nepali Congress|5th President of the Nepali Congress]]
| term_start5 = 11 January 1992
| term_end5 = 20 March 2010
| predecessor5 = [[Krishna Prasad Bhattarai]]
| successor5 = [[Sushil Koirala]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1924|7|4}}
| birth_place = [[Saharsa]], [[Bihar and Orissa Province]], [[British India]] (present-day [[Bihar]], India)
|death_date = {{death date and age|2010|03|20|1924|07|04|df=y}}
|death_place = [[Kathmandu]], Nepal
| party = [[Nepali Congress]]
| spouse = Sushma Koirala
| children = [[Sujata Koirala]]
| parents = [[Krishna Prasad Koirala]] (father)
| relatives = See [[Koirala family]]
| alma_mater = [[Kirori Mal College]] ([[University of Delhi]])
}}

[[Nepal Ratna Man Padavi|Nepal Ratna]] '''Girija Prasad Koirala''' ({{lang-ne|गिरिजाप्रसाद कोइराला}} {{Audio|Girija pd KOirala.ogg|Listen}}; 4 July 1924 – 20 March 2010),<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ekantipur.com/2010/03/20/top-story/girija-prasad-koirala-passes-away-at-86-last-rites-on-sunday/310672|title=Girija Prasad Koirala passes away at 86; last rites on Sunday|work=Ekantipur|date=20 March 2010|access-date=21 February 2012|location=Kathmandu, Nepal|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923232211/http://www.ekantipur.com/2010/03/20/top-story/girija-prasad-koirala-passes-away-at-86-last-rites-on-sunday/310672|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="nyt">{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E6DE1538F931A15750C0A9669D8B63|title=Girija Prasad Koirala, Former Nepal Premier, Dies at 86|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=22 March 2010|access-date=21 February 2012|author=Kiran Chapagain and Jim Yardley|location=Kathmandu, Nepal}}</ref> affectionately known as '''Girija Babu''',<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/why-sushil-koirala-leaves-a-contested-legacy-in-nepal/story-vCtuo5VgrPapSCOcuIq3YM.html |title = Why Sushil Koirala leaves a contested legacy in Nepal|date = 9 February 2016}}</ref> was a [[Nepal]]ese politician. He headed the [[Nepali Congress]] and served as the [[List of Prime Ministers of Nepal|Prime Minister of Nepal]] on four occasions, including from 1991 to 1994, 1998 to 1999, 2000 to 2001, and from 2006 to 2008. He was the [[Head of state|Acting Head of State of Nepal]] between January 2007 and July 2008 as the country transitioned from a monarchy to a republic.

Koirala, who was active in politics for over sixty years, was a pioneer of the Nepalese labour movement, having started the first political workers' movement on Nepalese soil, known as the [[Biratnagar jute mill strike]] in his hometown, [[Biratnagar]]. In 1991 he became the first democratically elected Prime Minister since 1959, when his brother [[Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala|B.P. Koirala]] and the [[Nepali Congress]] party were swept into power in the country's first democratic election.

==Personal life==
[[File:Girija Prasad Koirala.jpg|thumb|left|Girija Prasad Koirala in his youth]]
Koirala was born in [[Saharsa]], Bihar, [[British India]], in 1924 into a [[Brahmin-Hill|Hill Brahmin]] family.<ref>{{cite news|title= Girija Prasad Koirala: The architect of democracy in Nepal|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/822354|access-date=13 December 2017|newspaper= Dawn|date=23 March 2010}}</ref> His father, [[Krishna Prasad Koirala]], was a Nepali living in exile.<ref name="hindu"/> In 1952 Koirala married Sushma Koirala, headmistress at the local school for women in Biratnagar.<ref>{{cite news|title=The private life of GPK|url=http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2010/03/26/Features/The-private-life-of-GPK/206596/|access-date=30 January 2014|newspaper=The Kathmandu Post|date=26 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412210225/http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2010/03/26/Features/The-private-life-of-GPK/206596/|archive-date=12 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Their daughter [[Sujata Koirala]] was born in 1953. Sushma died in a kerosene stove explosion in 1967.<ref>{{cite web|title=GP Koirala|url=http://www.nndb.com/people/826/000214184|publisher=NNDB.com|access-date=30 January 2014}}</ref> He along with his daughter Sujata were followers of the Indian spiritual leader [[Sathya Sai Baba]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Nepal devotees await Sathya Sai Baba's reincarnation |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world/nepal-devotees-await-sathya-sai-baba-s-reincarnation/story-gn1iDMyv7e0q76ipJbNSWK.html |website=Hindustan Times |language=en |date=25 April 2011}}</ref>

==Political career==
Koirala became involved in politics in 1947, leading the [[Biratnagar jute mill strike]]<ref name="hindu"/> In 1948 Koirala founded the Nepal Mazdoor Congress, later known as the [[Nepal Trade Union Congress-Independent]]. Later, in 1952, he became the President of the [[Morang District]] [[Nepali Congress]] and held that office until he was arrested and imprisoned by [[Mahendra of Nepal|King Mahendra]] following the 1960 royal coup.<ref name="hindu"/><ref name="BBC"/> Upon his release in 1967, Koirala, along with other leaders and workers of the party, was exiled to [[India]]<ref name="hindu"/> until his return to Nepal in 1979. Koirala was General Secretary of the [[Nepali Congress]] Party from 1975 to 1991.<ref>[http://www.opmcm.gov.np/index.php?param=p7 Opmcm]</ref> Koirala was actively involved in the 1990 [[Jana Andolan]] which led to the abrogation of the [[Panchayat]] rule and the introduction of multiparty politics into the country. He had signed on many treaties which are against nation.

===First term===
In [[1991 Nepalese legislative election|Nepal's first multiparty democratic election]] in 1991, Koirala was elected as a member of parliament from the Morang-1 and Sunsari-5 constituencies. The Nepali Congress won 110 of the 205 seats in the [[Pratinidhi Sabha]] (House of Representatives), the lower house of parliament. He was subsequently elected as the leader of the Nepali Congress parliamentary party and was appointed as Prime Minister by [[Birendra of Nepal|King Birendra]].<ref name="BBC"/>

During his first term, the House of Representatives enacted legislation to liberalize education, media and health sectors in the country. The government also founded the [[Purbanchal University]] and the [[B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences]](BPKIHS) in the Eastern Development Region and granted licenses to the private sector to run medical and engineering colleges in various parts of the country. The government also undertook the construction of the [[B.P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital]] in [[Bharatpur, Nepal]] with assistance from the government of China. In November 1994, he called for a dissolution of parliament and general elections after a procedural defeat on the floor of the House when 36 members of parliament (MPs) of his party went against a government-sponsored vote of confidence. This led to the [[Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist)]]-led coalition coming to power in [[1994 Nepalese legislative election|the elections that followed]].<ref name="BBC"/>

===Second term===
Koirala took over as Prime Minister from [[Surya Bahadur Thapa]] following the collapse of the [[coalition government]] led by Thapa. Koirala first headed a [[Nepali Congress]] minority government until 25 December 1998, after which he headed a three-party coalition government with the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) and the [[Nepal Sadbhawana Party]]. {{citation needed|date=July 2015}}

===Third term===
[[File:Former Prime Minister of Nepal Shri G.P. Koirala calls on the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on June 29, 2004.jpg|thumb|left|Koirala calls on the Indian Prime Minister Dr. [[Manmohan Singh]] in New Delhi on 29 June 2004]]
Koirala became Prime Minister in 2000 for his third term following the resignation of [[Krishna Prasad Bhattarai]], under whose leadership the [[Nepali Congress]] Party had won the parliamentary election. The party had won claiming that [[Krishna Prasad Bhattarai]] would be the Prime Minister, but Koirala led a group of dissident MPs and forced Bhattarai to resign or face a no-confidence motion. At that time Nepal was fighting a civil war against the [[Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)|Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)]]. Koirala resigned in July 2001<ref name="BBC"/> after which the military was mobilized in the civil war for the first time, something Koirala had unsuccessfully attempted to do while in office. He was replaced by former Prime Minister [[Sher Bahadur Deuba]], who was elected by a majority of members of the [[Nepali Congress|Nepal]]After the [[2006 democracy movement in Nepal|Loktantra Andolan]] and the reinstatement of the Nepal House of Representatives, [[Pratinidhi Sabha]], on 24 April 2006, Koirala was selected to become Prime Minister by the leaders of the Seven Party Alliance. The reinstated House of Representatives passed laws to strip the King of his powers and bring the Army under civilian control. Following the promulgation of the interim constitution, Koirala, as the Prime Minister, became the interim head of state of Nepal.

On 1 April 2007, Koirala was re-elected as Prime Minister to head a new government composed of the SPA and the CPN (Maoist). Following the [[2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election|April 2008 Constituent Assembly election]], the Constituent Assembly voted to declare Nepal a republic on 28 May 2008. Koirala, speaking to the Constituent Assembly shortly before the vote, said that "we have a big responsibility now"; he said that Nepal was entering a "new era" and that "the nation's dream has come true".<ref>[http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0A9B5B1F-5BF2-4ACB-A159-700F21DAD3C4.htm "Nepal abolishes monarchy"], Al Jazeera, 29 May 2008.</ref>

===Fifth term===

Girija Prasad Koirala continued again as the prime minister of Nepal for a fifth term. In the discussions on power-sharing that followed the declaration of a republic, the [[Nepali Congress]] proposed that Koirala become the first President of Nepal; however, the CPN (Maoist), which had emerged as the strongest party in the Constituent Assembly election, opposed this.<ref>[http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/jun/jun15/news10.php "I won't plead before anyone for presidency, says PM"]{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Nepalnews, 15 June 2008.</ref>

At a meeting of the Constituent Assembly on 26 June 2008, Koirala announced his resignation, although it would not be finalized until after the election of a President, to whom the resignation had to be submitted.<ref>[http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/jun/jun26/news09.php "Prime Minister announces his resignation"]{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Nepal News, 26 June 2008.</ref>

Koirala was present for the swearing in of [[Ram Baran Yadav]], the first President of Nepal, on 23 July 2008.<ref>[http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/jul/jul23/news08.php "President Yadav, VP Jha sworn in"], Nepalnews.com, 23 July 2008.</ref> He submitted his resignation to Yadav later on the same day.<ref>[http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/jul/jul23/news12.php "PM Koirala tenders his resignation to President"], Nepal News, 23 July 2008.</ref> CPN (M) Chairman [[Prachanda]] was elected by the Constituent Assembly to succeed Koirala on 15 August 2008; Koirala congratulated [[Prachanda]] on this occasion.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/16/asia/AS-Nepal-Premiership-Election.php "Ex-rebels' chief chosen as Nepal's new PM"], Associated Press (''International Herald Tribune''), 15 August 2008.</ref>

===Later activity===
Towards the end of his life, Koirala was leading a democratic front composed of parties that supported and promoted liberal democratic principles and aspired to establishment of a long-term democratic form of governance in Nepal.

Koirala wrote ''Simple Convictions: My Struggle for Peace and Democracy''<ref>{{cite web|last=Monitor|first=Nepal|url=http://www.nepalmonitor.com/2007/07/nepal_pms_corleone_diplomacy_.html|title=Book Review: Girija Prasad Koirala's 'Corleone diplomacy'|publisher=Nepal Monitor|date=13 July 2007|access-date=6 February 2011}}</ref>

==Death==
[[File:Sujata at funeral of Girija.jpg|thumb|[[Sujata Koirala]] at funeral of Girija Prasad Koirala.]]
Koirala died at his daughter's home on 20 March 2010 at the age of 85, having suffered from [[asthma]] and pulmonary disease.<ref name="hindu">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/21/stories/2010032159310100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324043031/http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/21/stories/2010032159310100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 March 2010|title=G.P. Koirala passes away|last=Marasini|first=Prerana|date=20 March 2010|work=[[The Hindu]]|publisher=[[The Hindu Group]]|access-date=21 March 2010}}</ref> His funeral was held at [[Pashupatinath Temple]] in [[Kathmandu]] on 21 March.<ref name="BBC"/> Upon receiving news of his death, numerous politicians released statements of condolence. ''[[The Hindu]]'' described him as a "national guardian".<ref name="hindu"/> Indian Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]] released a statement expressing his condolences, saying "Koirala was a mass leader and a statesman, whose knowledge and wisdom guided the polity of Nepal in the right direction at critical junctures in the country's history,"<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8577669.stm|title=Nepalese ex-leader Girija Prasad Koirala dies|date=20 March 2010|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=21 March 2010}}</ref> while [[Ban Ki-moon]], [[Secretary-General of the United Nations]] said "Koirala fought fearlessly and at considerable personal sacrifice for justice and democratic rights in his country"<ref name="ABC">{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/21/2851833.htm?section=justin|title=Nepal's former leader Koirala dies|date=21 March 2010|work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|access-date=21 March 2010}}</ref> and senior [[Maoist]] politician [[Baburam Bhattarai]] said "Koirala will be very much missed, especially now that the country is nearing the end of the peace process that he facilitated".<ref name="ABC"/>

==Controversies==
Koirala is alleged to have protected corrupt politicians and institutionalizing corruption in Nepal.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.everestuncensored.org/forgotten-and-forgiven-evils-top-ten-corrupt-politicians/ | title=Forgotten and forgiven evils: Top ten Corrupt Politicians| date=30 November 2006}}</ref>He is considered as one of the most corrupt prime minister of Nepal.

==Awards==
On 2015, he was posthumously awarded with [[Nepal Ratna Man Padavi]], the highest honour to a Nepali citizen by the [[Government of Nepal]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2014/05/29/top-story/late-gp-koirala-given-highest-national-honour/263335.html|title=Late GP Koirala given highest national honour|publisher=The Kathmandu Post|access-date=21 September 2014}}</ref>
* Bangladesh :
** [[Bangladesh Liberation War Honour]]

==See also==
*[[Biratnagar jute mill strike]]
*[[Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala]]
*[[List of Prime Ministers of Nepal]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}

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{{s-bef|before=[[Krishna Prasad Bhattarai]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Prime Ministers of Nepal|Prime Minister of Nepal]]|years=1991–1994}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Man Mohan Adhikari]]}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Surya Bahadur Thapa]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Prime Ministers of Nepal|Prime Minister of Nepal]]|years=1998–1999}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Sher Bahadur Deuba]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Prime Ministers of Nepal|Prime Minister of Nepal]]|years=2006–2008}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Gyanendra of Nepal|Gyanendra]]|as=[[King of Nepal]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of Nepal]] Acting|years=2007–2008}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Krishna Prasad Bhattarai]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of Nepali Congress]]|years=1996–2010}}
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{{Heads of State of Nepal}}
{{Prime Ministers of Nepal}}
{{People from Biratnagar}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koirala, Girija Prasad}}
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:2010 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths from multiple organ failure]]
[[Category:Followers of Sathya Sai Baba]]
[[Category:Nepalese exiles]]
[[Category:Nepalese Hindus]]
[[Category:Nepalese prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:Prime ministers of Nepal]]
[[Category:Finance ministers of Nepal]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of Nepal]]
[[Category:Kirori Mal College alumni]]
[[Category:Heads of state of Nepal]]
[[Category:Nepali Congress politicians]]
[[Category:University of Delhi alumni]]
[[Category:People from Biratnagar]]
[[Category:People educated at Adarsha High School]]
[[Category:Koirala family|G]]
[[Category:Nepal MPs 1991–1994]]
[[Category:Nepal MPs 1994–1999]]
[[Category:Nepal MPs 1999–2002]]
[[Category:People of the Nepalese Civil War]]
[[Category:20th-century prime ministers of Nepal]]
[[Category:21st-century prime ministers of Nepal]]

Girija Prasad Koirala - Revision history

->Vusan at 07:26, 30 November 2021