| Nepal | |||||
This article is part of the series:
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| Government | |||||
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| Political history · Constitution | |||||
| Executive | |||||
| President
Ram Baran Yadav | |||||
| Vice President
Parmanand Jha | |||||
| Prime Minister
Jhala Nath Khanal | |||||
| Council of Ministers (List) | |||||
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| Elections | |||||
| Election Commission
Constituent Assembly: 2008 Presidential: 2008 | |||||
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Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Government of Nepal
2001: Royal massacre
On June 1, 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra was officially reported to have shot and killed his father, King Birendra; his mother, Queen Aishwarya; his brother; his sister, his father's younger brother, Prince Dhirendra; and several aunts, before turning the gun on himself. Although he never regained consciousness before dying, Crown Prince Dipendra was nonetheless the king under the law of Nepalese royal succession. After his death two days later, the late King's surviving brother Gyanendra was proclaimed king. Although official statements declared Crown Prince Dipendra as the killer, later on King Gyanendra has also been suspected for the massacre.
1996: Maoist insurgency
In February 1996, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) began a violent insurgency in more than 50 of the country's 75 districts. About 13,000 police, civilians, and insurgents have been killed in the conflict since 1996. In July 2001 Prime Minister Deuba announced a cease-fire, which the Maoists pledged to observe, as part of a government effort to seek a negotiated solution to the conflict. Although Maoist-instigated intimidation and extortion continue, the killings have largely subsided since the cease-fire was announced. The government and Maoists held talks in August and September 2001.
Political parties agreed in 1991 that the monarchy would remain to enhance political stability and provide an important symbol of national identity for the culturally diverse Nepali people. The King exercises limited powers, including the right to declare a state of emergency in the event of war or armed revolt, with the advice and consent of the Council of Ministers and the Prime Minister. According to the constitution, the King's declaration of a state of emergency must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the lower house of the Parliament.
Political conditions
1990–1996: Parliamentary monarchy
Until 1990, Nepal was an absolute monarchy running under the executive control of the king. Faced with a people's movement against the absolute monarchy, King Birendra, in 1990, agreed to large-scale political reforms by creating a parliamentary monarchy with the king as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of the government.
Nepal's legislature was bicameral consisting of a House of Representatives and a National Council. The House of Representatives consisted of 205 members directly elected by the people. The National Council had 60 members, 10 nominated by the king, 35 elected by the House of Representatives and the remaining 15 elected by an electoral college made up of chairs of villages and towns. The legislature had a five-year term, but was dissolved by the king before its term could end. All Nepalese citizens 18 years and older became eligible to vote.
The executive comprised the King and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet). The leader of the coalition or party securing the maximum seats in an election was appointed as the Prime Minister. The Cabinet was appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
Governments in Nepal have tended to be highly unstable; no government has survived for more than two years since 1991, either through internal collapse or parliamentary dissolution by the monarch.
In the first free and fair elections in Nepal in 1991, the Nepali Congress was victorious.
The 1994 election defeat of the Nepali Congress Party by the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN(UML)) made Nepal the first communist-led monarchy in Asia, with Man Mohan Adhikary prime minister. In mid-1994, parliament was dissolved due to dissension within the Nepali Congress Party. The subsequent general election, held 15 November 1994, gave no party a majority and led to several years of unstable coalition governments. As of the May 1999 general elections, the Nepali Congress Party once again headed a majority government. There have been three Nepali Congress Party Prime Ministers since the 1999 elections:K.P. Bhattarai (31 May 1999–17 March 2000); Girija Prasad Koirala (20 March 2000–19 July 2001); and Sher Bahadur Deuba (23 July 2001–2003). The final distribution of seats in Parliament gave the Nepali Congress 113; the CPN(UML) 69; the RPP 11; the RJM 5; the NSP 5; the Workers and Peasants Party 1; and the United People's Front 1. Nepali Congress Party has divided to Nepali Congress Party led by G. P. Koirala and Nepali Congress (Democratic) led by Sher Bahadur Deuba. Amongst the elected MPs, 39 MPs belong to Nepali Congress (Democratic). Former Prime Minister and Influential Leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has expressed his support for Nepali Congress (Democratic). Both Congress parties regard Krishna Prasad Bhattarai as their main leader.
Politics of Nepal
The politics of Nepal function within a framework of a republic with a multi-party system. Currently, the position of President (head of state) is occupied by Ram Baran Yadav. The position of Prime Minister (head of government) is held by Jhala Nath Khanal, following a seven-month interval with no prime minister after the resignation of Madhav Kumar Nepal on June 30, 2010. Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and his cabinet, while legislative power is vested in the Constituent Assembly.
Until May 28, 2008, Nepal was a constitutional monarchy. On that date, the constitution was altered by the Constituent Assembly to make the country a republic.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
East India Company
Company flag after 1801 | |
| Former type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | International trade |
| Founded | 1600 |
| Defunct | 1 January 1874 |
| Headquarters | London, England |
British Indian Empire | |
| Colonial India | |
|---|---|
| Portuguese India | 1510–1961 |
| Dutch India | 1605–1825 |
| Danish India | 1620–1869 |
| French India | 1759–1954 |
| British India 1613–1947 | |
| East India Company | 1612–1757 |
| Company rule in India | 1757–1857 |
| British Raj | 1858–1947 |
| British rule in Burma | 1824–1942 |
| Princely states | 1765–1947 |
| Partition of India | |
East India Company
The East India Company (also known as the East India Trading Company, English East India Company, and, after the Treaty of Union, the British East India Company)[2] was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinentand China. The Company was granted an English Royal Charter, under the name Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies, by Elizabeth I on 31 December 1600, making it the oldest among several similarly formed European East India Companies, the largest of which was the Dutch East India Company. After a rival English company challenged its monopoly in the late 17th century, the two companies were merged in 1708 to form the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies, commonly styled theHonourable East India Company, and abbreviated, HEIC; the Company was colloquially referred to as John Company, and in India as Company Bahadur (Hindustani bahādur, "brave"/"authority").
The East India Company traded mainly in cotton, silk, indigo dye, saltpetre, tea, and opium. The Company also came to rule large areas of India, exercising military power and assuming administrative functions, to the exclusion, gradually, of its commercial pursuits; it effectively functioned as a megacorporation. Company rule in India, which effectively began in 1757 after the Battle of Plassey, lasted until 1858, when, following the events of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and under the Government of India Act 1858, the British Crown assumed direct administration of India in the new British Raj. The Company itself was finally dissolved on 1 January 1874, as a result of the East India Stock Dividend Redemption Act 1873. The East India Company often issued coinage bearing its stamp in the regions it had control over.
The Company long held a privileged position in relation to the British Government. As a result, it was frequently granted special rights and privileges, including trade monopolies and exemptions. These caused resentmentamong its competitors, who saw unfair advantage in the Company's position. Despite this resentment, the Company remained a powerful force for over 250 years.
Nationalist cause
The idea of "Complete (Greater) Nepal" motivates not only some Nepali nationalists but a majority of Nepalese academicians, who seek to extend the boundaries of present-day Nepal to include the very territories ceded under the Sugauli Treaty. As the ceded territories were not restored to Nepal by the British when freedom was granted to the people of British India, these have become a part of theRepublic of India even though it was mentioned that the treaties on behalf of the East India Company orBritish India would not be valid anymore. Some Nepali politicians and activists accuse India of usurping Nepali territory and using the present border and territorial situation to dominate Nepal, which in the opinion of Nepali nationalists can be overcome by a "Complete (Greater) Nepal." Most law graduates claim that the Sugauli Treaty became null and void on August 15, 1947 when India obtained her independence from British Raj and by the 1950 Indo-Nepal Friendship Treaty. Several Nepalese publications and activities claim the lost territories must be recovered since the Sugauli Treaty has in effect been void by article 8 of the 1950 Indo-Nepal Friendship Treaty and Anglo-Nepal Treaty. The land is being illegally occupied by the Indian government and there are adequate proofs to show that these lands are legally a part of Nepal.
Historic boundaries
Under the Sugauli Treaty, the Nepalese kingdom had ceded the territories conquered by the British East India Company that spanned from the Teesta River in the east, which are constituted in the modern Indianstates of Punjab,[5] Himachal Pradesh,Sikkim and West Bengal and Uttarakhand and including places such as Almora, Pathankot, Kumaon, Dehradun, Garhwal, Sirmur and Shimla and Kangra, located to the west of the Sutlej River in the modern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Nepal also ceded control over kingdom of Sikkim, whose local ruler, the Chogyal, had supported the British in the war, as well as the north of the Rajshahi division of Bangladesh. The re-acquisition of these territories is a goal held by several Nepali political groups, especially the parts of then Nepal integrated into India only because of the consequence of the Sugauli treaty concluded between British India and the Nepalese government.
Monday, August 22, 2011
The map of india in 1805
This British India map of 1805 before Sugauli Treaty, showing
Nepal's western border near the Kangra across theSatluj river
. Nepal's wester border is touching Sikhs state.
Victory over Sikkim & Darjeeling
Previously Darjeeling formed a part of dominions of the Raja of Sikkim, who had been engaged in an unsuccessful warfare against the Gorkhas. From 1780 the Gorkhas constately made inroads into Sikkim. In the Sino-Nepal treaty, Sikkim lost some of its land to Nepal and by the beginning of 19th century, they had overrun Sikkim as far-eastward as the Teesta and had conquered and annexed the Terai.
Victory over Kumau & Garhwal
Army of Gorkha got victory over Kumaon in 1790 AD.Pradhumna Shah became the ruler of the nation on condition of paying Rs. 5000 yearly tribute.The southern border of Nepal extended up to Allahabad after the absorption of Palpa Kingdom, including the Terai sector of Butwal taken by the king of Palpa from the king of Awadh on lease in 1801. In 1806 AD, the army of Gorkha absorbed all the small kingdoms like Sirmudh,Hindur and Besahar lying across the Gadhwal and the Satalaj River. In this way, Nepal had intention of acquiring the nearest port of Karanchi and the hilly regions such as Nainital, Almoda, Garhwal and Deharadunacross the Satlaj River.
Unification campaign
Prithvi Narayan Shah unified the major principalities into one country, especially important for business with Tibet after the victory over Nuwakot on October 2 1744,Sindhupal chowk, Kabhrepal chowk, and some kingdoms located to the eastern part of it in 1748 AD. He unified Mahadevpokhari, Pharping, Chitlang, Dharmasthali, Naldrum, Siranchowk and Shivapuri during 1745-46. Immediately after the unification of Makawanpur and Simrongad, he unified Bara, Parsa,Rautahat, and Sindhuli Gadhi in 1762. In 1763 he unified Dhulikhel and Banepa. On 17 March 1766 he captured Kirtipur. In 1768 he unified Kantipur. Then, relationship of Gorkha kingdom was established with Government of East India Company. The capital from Gorkha to Kathmandu was shifted in 1868 AD. After it Prithvi Narayan Shah died at the age of fifty three in 1775 AD, while he was planning to annex Chaudandi and Vijayapur. Prithvi Narayan Shah was avisionary person. During the reign of Pratap Shah, the son of Prithvi Narayan Shah, three states like Dang, Kapilvastu and Chitwan were merged into Nepal. Similarly,Lamjung, Tanahu, Palpa, Parbat, Upper Nuwakot, Garahu, Stahu, Bhirkot, and Kaski were conquered in1785. Then, Sarlahi, Mahotttari, Dhanusa, Siraha, Saptari, Sunsari, Morang, Jhapa, Sindhuli, and Udayapur were annexed. In 1769 AD, Jajarkot agreed to absorb its kingdom into Gorkha. Pratap Shah died at the age of twenty five in 1777 AD. after the absorption of the Chitwan Valley of Tanahun. Five Valley of Tanahun. Five years after his demise, Koshi, Lamjung, and Tanahun, including Chaubise kingdoms were galvanized into Nepal in 1789 AD after the absorption of all the Baise Kingdoms (twenty-two principalities), located in the western part of the Kali Gandaki. Then, Salyan, Palpa and Mustang were annexed.
Objective of the unification
Prithvi Narayan Shah was a farsighted king and so he decided to galvanize small states into a strong nation with a view to saving Nepal from being one of the colonies of Britain. He did have full support of all right thinking intellectuals and patriots of the time.
Political situation of the Eastern Society
he eastern administration system was decentralized with Rajauta, Raja, Maharaja, and Badamaharaja ruling villages and states respectively as per the norms of Dharma Rajya. State was not concerned to planning and development, which was a common feature of entire south Asian region. There were more than 565 principalities in the present India alone. Nepal too did have over six dozen Rajya and Rajauta, called Bayeese(22 in Nepali) and Chaubise(24 in Nepali) Kingdom.
Because of the loose union of eastern system, Europeans started colonizing those principalities, taking advantage of the weak political situation. Considering the importance of eastern philosophy, culture and Dharma, King Prithivi Narayan Shah tried to unify Nepal. In those days, Nepal was divided into small kingdoms and kingships.
The Greater Nepal
Greater Nepal is a concept referring to the state of Nepal extending beyond present boundaries to include territories ceded to the British East India Companyunder the Sugauli Treaty that ended the Anglo-Nepalese War in 1814–16.] The idea of a modern Nepali state covering the same territories motivates some Nepali nationalist groups.
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