Pushpa Kamal Dahal, commonly known as Chairman Prachanda or Comrade Prachanda, is the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). The party launched the Nepalese People's War on the 13th of February 1996, and through armed conflict now controls large portions of Nepal. Prachanda's extension of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism to take specific account of Nepal's situation is known as the Prachanda Path.