Former PM, Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala passes away

Kathmandu February 9–  Nepali Congress President and former Prime Minister Sushil Koirala died of cardiac arrest after suffering from a bout of pneumonia in the wee hours of Tuesday morning , according to family sources. He was 76.

Sushil Koirala, who had announced his candidacy for the Nepali  Congress top leadership in the upcoming general convention, breathed his last at Shashanka Koirala’s residence, where he had been staying after leaving Baluwatar in last October, at around 00:50 am.

It has been learned that he suffered from pneumonia for some time and had been unable to take part in public functions for some days.

He served as Nepal’s 37th Prime Minister from February 2014 to October 2014.  The new constitution was promulgated during his premiership from the elected Constituent Assembly.

In the second Constituent Assembly elections, he was elected from two constituencies in Chitawan and Banke. He later resigned from Chitawan.

Koirala was elected as the Nepali Congress President in September 2010. Earlier he served in the party in various capacities.

Koirala, who was accused of failing to stick to the gentlemen’s agreement made by the top leaders of Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and UCPN-Maoist to handover the prime minister’s berth to CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli  after the promulgation of Constitution, was defeated in the prime ministerial elections by Oli in October. He had defended his decision to contest the polls, saying it was a democratic practice.

After his exit from Singha Darbar, Koirala remained as the Parliamentary Party leader of the main opposition.

Sushil Koirala earlier suffered from tongue cancer and underwent operations the United States for successful treatment.

He was cousin of former Prime Ministers BP Koirala and  Girija Prasad Koirala, and had taken part in the democratic movements in Nepal along with them.

He was single and known for spartan life. Before getting elected as the Prime Minister, he did not hold any public office though his party was in power several times. Source: THT