Pushpa Lal Shrestha

Who was Pushpa Lal Shrestha?

Pushpa Lal Shrestha was the founding general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal as well as the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal.

Born in 1924, Pushpa Lal grew up to play a large role in the early years of the Communist Party of Nepal, becoming its first general secretary. The party split in 1962, he followed the radical sector led by Tulsi Lal Amatya in forming a separate Communist Party. The 3rd congress of the party held in 1962 declared that Tulsi Lal and Pushpa Lal would share the central leadership responsibilities.

In 1968, however, as the Sino-Soviet split intensified, and the power sharing agreement with Tulsi Lal Amatya was failing, he left with a largely Maoist contingent to form the Communist Party of Nepal. Pushpa Lal maintained the leadership of the party until his death in 1978. His funeral was attended by many and he has since become an inspiration for other Communists, such as Prachanda.