Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre)

Communism in Nepal Leaders Pushpa Lal Shrestha Mohan Bikram Singh Manmohan Adhikari Keshar Jung Rayamajhi Chandra Prakash Mainali Sahana Pradhan Madan Kumar Bhandari Madan Kumar Bhandari Madhav Kumar Nepal Prachanda Baburam Bhattarai Current groups CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) UCPN (Maoist) CPN-Maoist CPN (United Marxist) CPN (Marxist–Leninist) CPN (Marxist) CPN (United) CPN (Unified) Nepal Workers Peasants Party Defunct groups Communist Party of Nepal Nepal Communist League CPN (Burma) CPN (Pushpa Lal) CPN (4th Convention) CPN (Marxist–Leninist) CPN (Masal) CPN (Mashal) CPN (Manmohan) CPN (Marxist) (1st) CPN (Marxist) (2nd) CPN (Democratic) CPN (Unity Centre) CPN (MLM) CPN (Samyabadi) CPN (MLM Centre) CPN (United) CPN (Unity Centre–Masal) Related articles Communism History of Nepal Nepalese Civil War Politics of Nepal Political parties in Nepal Elections in Nepal Communism Portal

Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre), was a communist party in Nepal. CPN(UC) was formed on November 19–20, 1990, through the merger of Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal), Communist Party of Nepal (Fourth Convention), Proletarian Workers Organisation and Communist Party of Nepal (Janamukhi). Soon thereafter a group led by Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and Shital Kumar, that had left Communist Party of Nepal (Masal) joined the party.^[1] Samyukta Janamorcha Nepal was set up as the open mass front of the party.

The next year the party held its first convention. It adopted a line of "protracted armed struggle on the route to a new democratic revolution" and that the party would remain an underground party.

In 1992, in a situation of economic crisis and chaos, with spiralling prices as a result of implementation of changes in policy of the new Congress government, SJM and CPN(UC) stepped up their political agitation. A Joint People's Agitation Committee was set up together with the Communist Party of Nepal (Masal), the Nepal Communist League and the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist). A general strike was called for April 6.

Violent incidents began to occur on the evening ahead of the strike. The Joint People's Agitation Committee had called for a 30-minute 'lights out' in the capital, and violent erupted outside Bir Hospital when activists tried to enforce the 'lights out'. At dawn on April 6, clashes between strike activists and police outside a police station in Pulchok (Patan) left two activists dead.

Later in the day, a mass rally of the Agitation Committee at Tundikhel in the capital Kathmandu was attacked by police forces. As a result, riots broke out, and the Nepal Telecommunications building was set on fire. Police opened fire at the crowd, killing several persons. The Human Rights Organisation of Nepal estimated that 14 people, including several on-lookers, had been killed in police firing.^[2]

In 1994 a group led by Bhattarai and Pushpa Kamal Dahal broke away from CPN(UC) and formed a parallel CPN-UC. In 1996 that group took the name Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

At the party convention held in Chitwan December 16-December 18, 2001 CPN(UC) decided to merge with Communist Party of Nepal (Masal).^[3] The merger became effective in early 2002, and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre-Masal) was formed.

See also

• Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Centre)
• Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre-Masal)

References

1. क्रान्तीकारी नेपाल :: नेपाल कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी इतिहास :: January :: 2006
2. Hoftun, Martin, William Raeper and John Whelpton. People, politics and ideology: Democracy and Social Change in Nepal. Kathmandu: Mandala Book Point, 1999. p. 189
3. Unity Centre and Masal to Unite - Nepali Times