Prachanda, born Pushpa Kamal Dahal on December 11, 1954, is the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN (M)), a Nepalese political party and military organization. Under his leadership, CPN (M) 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. It takes the strategy of Shining Path insurrection in Peru as an important point of reference, along with the Chinese Revolution. "Prachanda" is a nom de guerre along the lines of "Pancho Villa," "Ho Chi Minh," or "Subcomandante Marcos." It can be literally translated as "the fierce one." Contents [hide] 1 Personal life and early career 2 The Maoist insurrection 2.1 Relations with Bhattarai 2.2 Twelve point agreement 2.3 Ceasefires 2.4 Interim government 3 References 4 External links [edit] Personal life and early career Prachanda spent much of his childhood in Chitwan, western Nepal. His family are reported to have been brahmins of modest means. He studied agricultural science and was reportedly once employed at a rural development project sponsored by USAID. the project site being Jajarkot.[1] Inspired by the Cultural Revolution in China, he became active in insurrectionist Communist politics as early as the 1970s. Pushpa lived underground even after the restoration of democracy in 1990. Until then a little-known figure, he controlled the clandestine wing of the party while the portion with parliamentary representation in the United People's Front was headed by Dr. Baburam Bhattarai. Communist Party of Nepal History of Nepal Nepal Civil War Communist Leaders Pushpa Lal Shrestha Mohan Bikram Singh Manmohan Adhikari Chandra Prakash Mainali Madan Kumar Bhandari Madhav Kumar Nepal Prachanda Baburam Bhattarai Current Communist Groups Workers and Peasants Party CPN (Unified Marxist-Leninist) CPN (Maoist) CPN (Unity Centre-Masal) CPN (United Marxist) CPN (Unified Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) CPN (Marxist-Leninist) Defunct Communist Groups Nepal Communist League CPN (Rayamjhi) CPN (Pushpa Lal) CPN (4th Convention) CPN (Marxist-Leninist) CPN (Masal) CPN (Mashal) CPN (Marxist) CPN (Democratic) CPN (Unity Centre) Communism World Communist Movement Politics of Nepal Political parties in Nepal Elections in Nepal [edit] The Maoist insurrection On February 4, 1996 Prachanda and Bhattarai gave the government, led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, a list of 40 demands, threatening civil war if they were not met. The demands related to "nationalism, democracy and livelihood" and included such line items as the "domination of foreign capital in Nepali industries, business and finance should be stopped," and "discriminatory treaties, including the 1950 Nepal-India Treaty, should be abrogated," and "land under the control of the feudal system should be confiscated and distributed to the landless and the homeless." [2] Since then, Prachanda has directed the military efforts of the CPN (M) towards establishing a so-called "base area" particularly in the mountainous regions and western Nepal. [edit] Relations with Bhattarai In late 2004 or early 2005, relations between Prachanda and Bhattarai soured. [3] This was reportedly due to disagreement on a stance towards India. It was claimed by some media that Bhattarai may also have charged that Prachanda was consolidating too much power into central leadership. It has since been reported that they again appear close. [4] [5] [edit] Twelve point agreement On November 22, 2005 Prachanda and the Seven Party Alliance released a "twelve-point agreement" that expresses areas of agreement between the CP(M) and the parties that won a large majority in the last parliamentary election in 1999. Among other points, this document states that a dictatorial monarchy is the chief impediment to progress in Nepal, that the Nepali parliament must be reinstated, and that the Maoists are committed to human rights and press freedoms and a multi-party system of government. It pledges self-criticism and the intention of the Maoists not to repeat past mistakes. [6] [edit] Ceasefires Periodically, Prachanda has announced unilateral ceasefires that are not reciprocated by the Royal Nepalese Army. [7] Most recently, on April 26, 2006, he announced such a ceasefire with a stated duration of 90 days. The move followed weeks of massive protests —the April 2006 Nepalese general strike— in Kathmandu and elsewhere that had forced King Gyanendra to give up the personal dictatorship he had established on the 1st of February 2005, and restore the parliament that was dissolved in May 2002. After that a new government was established by the Seven-Party Alliance.. The parliament and new government supported the ceasefire and asked for negotiations with the Maoists on the basis of the twelve-point agreement. The two sides agree that a new constituent assembly must be elected, it must write a new constitution, and the king's grip on power must be ended. The Maoists want this process to end with Nepal becoming a republic. [8] Many are skeptical of Prachanda's call for a multi-party democracy as it does not seem to compatible with orthodox Maoist ideology. [edit] Interim government Prachanda met for talks with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on June 16, 2006, in what is thought to be his first visit to the capital Kathmandu in decades. [9] From this meeting there resulted an agreement to dissolve parliament, incorporate the CPN(M) into a new interim government, the drafting of a new constitution, and the dissolution of the CPN(M)'s "people's governments" in the countryside. The two sides also agreed to disarm at a later date, under international supervision. [10