Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist–Leninist) (1978)

The Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist–Leninist) was a political party in Nepal. It was launched in 1978 by the All Nepal Communist Revolutionary Coordination Committee (Marxist–Leninist), which was founded by groups involved in the Jhapa movement. The CPN (ML) published Varg-Sangarsh (Class Struggle) and Mukti Morcha (Liberation Front).

History

Revolutionary Coordination Committee

The All Nepal Communist Revolutionary Coordination Committee (Marxist–Leninist) was founded in 1975 and had been inspired by the Naxalite movement in India led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist). It had strong links to the Vinod Mishra faction of CPI (ML) that had a strong presence in the Indian state of Bihar.

The party had its roots in the Jhapa District Committee of the Communist Party of Nepal (Amatya) and the Morang District-based Nepal Revolutionary Organisation (Marxist–Leninist) led by Madhav Kumar Nepal. The party inspired by the Naxalites carried out a peasant-led anti-feudal movement in Jhapa District. On 30 August 1977, Mukti Morcha Samuha led by Madan Kumar Bhandari merged into the party. In August 1978, a section of the Dhanusa District Committee of the Communist Party of Nepal (Amatya) merged into the party followed by Revolutionary Communist Organising Committee on 11 September 1979 and Dang District-based Sandesh Samuha.

The first national convention of the party was held between 26 December 1978 and 1 January 1979 where the ANCRCC (ML) formed the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist–Leninist). The general convention also elected Chandra Prakash Mainali as the party's first general secretary of CPN (ML).

Mergers

The party quickly emerged as the main communist faction in the country and several smaller communist factions merged with party. In July 1979 the Gandaki Province-based Marxist–Leninist Revolutionary Communist Party merged with the party. Revolutionary Communists in Arghakhanchi District, Marxist–Leninist Study Group and Revolutionary Communist Organisation, Nepal joined the party in 1980. Communist Party of Nepal (Rebel Unity Centre) and Revolutionaries, a Parbat District-based splinter group of the Nepal Workers and Peasants Organisation joined the party in 1981.

The party had decided to boycott the 1980 Nepalese governmental system referendum which offered a choice between multi-party democracy and a reformed party-less panchayat system. The panchayat system was retained and the party leaders later openly regretted their boycott despite calls from within the party by K.P. Sharma Oli to participate in the referendum. The "New Democratic Revolution" was based on the idea of agrarian revolution by uprooting the power of big landlords through armed struggle.