Kathmandu, June 28: Madan Bhandari was one of the leading leaders of the democratic movement in Nepal and a prominent ideologue of the communist movement. The multi-party democracy of the people, he said, has a great meaning in the communist movement of Nepal. The program of Peoples multi-party democracy of the people was carried forward mainly with the belief of leading the communist movement on the path of peaceful struggle and bringing communism through socialism.

Madan Bhandari’s 70th birth anniversary special

The idea put forward by Comrade Madan Bhandari, a leader of the anti-feudal movement and a well-known leader of the communist movement, served as an ideological guide to the then CPN (UML). While the debate on new democracy was going on within the party, Bhandari emphasized on legal struggle and political competition. The Fifth General Convention of the CPN (UML) in 2049 BS approved Madan Bhandari’s proposal as a multi-party democracy of the people.

Bhandari was assassinated in Dasdhunga with a well-planned conspiracy in connection with the party’s work in the Terai, including the district convention of the All Nepal Women’s Association in Chitwan and the party’s program in Pokhara. An unpleasant incident took place in the Nepali Communist Movement on 3 Jesth 2050 BS. Bhandari, a thinker of the peaceful movement in the communist movement, terrifying demised in an accident. However, is Bhandari’s death an accident or a conspiratorial murder? This issue is still being debated.

People’s leader Madan Bhandari was born on June 27, 1952 in Taplejung in the eastern hills to an educated family as the eldest son of father Dev Prasad Bhandari. After completing his general education in Taplejung, Bhandari went to Benaras University to do his MA . Bhandari had passed master’s degree in two subjects.

Born to the Pandey family in Bhojpur, Vidya Devi Bhandari studied in Morang and worked for the party. Vidya was active in the local committee under the responsibility of party work, student organization and women’s organization. At the same time, a progressive marriage was concluded between Madan Bhandari and Vidya Devi Pandey. Seeing that the party would help in the work, party leaders had arranged a democratic marriage between Bhandari and Pandey. His wife Bidyadevi Bhandari has now been served President of Nepal for a second term.

During his student life in Benaras, his contacts with old leaders of Nepal and especially socialist leaders of India, communist leaders Jyoti Basu, then CPI leader Harikrishnas Surjit and Nepali leaders comrade Pushpalal Shrestha, Manmohan Adhikari, Mohan Vikram Singh, Nar Bahadur Karmacharya, BP Koirala and Sahana Pradhan took Bhandari on a journey of radical change in Nepal. He was motivated to do so. For the same reason, Bhandari became involved in the political movement and eventually went underground for the anti-Panchayat struggle.

Bhandari became a member of the Central Committee of the Student Front opened by Comrade Pushpalal during the Naxalite movement, the then Jhapa Armed Uprising. While studying at Banaras University in 1972, he was attracted to leftist politics. He was very fast in his studies. Bhandari was equally interested in intellectual work as well as organization within the party. He was also a poet and lyricist. Bhandari has published dozens of popular songs. During his time in the underground, he wrote extensively on philosophy, politics, and current affairs.

Panchayat repression was on the rise across the country. Around 2033 BS.the then Coordination Center organization started to expand. CPN (Marxist- Leninist) was formed in 2035 BS. At the same time, Madan Bhandari became active in the politics of the then ML. The party was underground, the top leaders were all in jail. In such a challenging situation, Bhandari took on the organizational responsibility of the Party and led the movement. After that, Bhandari continued to lead the anti-Panchayat movement. Eventually, due to his successful ideological and organizational leadership, he formulated a new theory of political competition in the communist movement.

Bhandari was adamant in his principles. He used to put the interests of the party and the country first. Bhandari became popular even among the democratic forces due to the call for the king to enter the political competition by removing the crown. He preferred a normal lifestyle. He stayed in rented flat even during his tenure as the party’s powerful general secretary. He was interested in philosophical, ideological and political studies. He was engrossed in the practical study of Nepali society. Bhandari’s nature was to be able to blend in quickly between the cadres and the people.

Madan Bhandari considered the unity of the communists at different poles necessary. In the words of CPN (Maoist) Chairman Prachanda, a date was set to discuss party unity between the then UML and the CPN (Unity Center). However, Bhandari died before the scheduled date. Mainly, his proposal to go for socialism on the basis of multi-party competition and peaceful struggle remained a matter of debate in the Nepali communist movement. In 2060 BS, the then rebel Maoists also put forward a new proposal of political competition to stop the counter-revolution. Bhandari’s proposal was open competition and the Maoists’ proposal was competition with feudalism and anti-imperialist forces. Despite some differences in essence, both proposals provided an ideological basis for unity between Nepal’s two largest communist parties.

Madan Bhandari is also a well-known theorist, politician, writer and organizer. Bhandari has made a great contribution to the peaceful journey of the communist movement in Nepal. He has proved by practice that the communist movement is also a movement of loyalty. It has been 28 years since Bhandari’s death.

The American magazine Newsweek also published an interview with a long life story about Madan Bhandari. The magazine even said that ‘In Nepal Karl Marx Lives’.Madan’s rise was truly shocking to world politics. That is why Madan was killed. That murder mystery is still shrouded in mystery.

There was unity between the two major communist parties of Nepal on 3 Jesth 2075 BS. The CPN (UML) has concluded that the multi-party democracy put forward by Bhandari and the Maoism put forward by the Maoists have achieved so far and new ideological guidance is needed for socialism. However, there has been no intensive debate on the new ideological direction of the socialist revolution. But that unity has disintegrated in less than three years. This has frozen Madan’s dream.