Kathmandu, June 16: Veteran Nepali Congress leader, former minister, and noted socialist thinker Dhundiraj Shastri died early Monday at the age of 90 while undergoing treatment at Kathmandu Medical College, Sinamangal.
Shastri, born in 1936 in Nimdanda, Arghakhanchi, is survived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters. His final rites will be held after the arrival of his sons from abroad.
A committed follower of BP Koirala’s ideology, Shastri began his political journey in the early 1960s while studying in Banaras, India. He played a key role in the Nepali Congress’s underground struggle against the Panchayat regime and remained active through Nepal’s democratic transitions.
Elected to Parliament from Arghakhanchi-2 in 1991 and 1994, he served as minister for industry and labour. Within the party, he led the Policy, Principles and Programme Department and proposed a federal structure over three decades ago, advocating decentralisation through regional governments—an idea he elaborated in his memoir Mero Jiwan ra Anubhuti.
Though his federal model under a constitutional monarchy was never formally adopted, it was a pioneering concept, met with resistance from senior leaders, including Ramchandra Paudel.
In 2024, Shastri received the BP Koirala National Award for his intellectual and political contributions. He also founded the Shahid Smriti Pratisthan (Martyrs’ Memorial Foundation).
Issuing a statement, the Nepali Congress hailed him as “an unwavering democratic fighter and guiding force.” His body will be kept at the party headquarters on June 18 for final tributes. Party President Sher Bahadur Deuba expressed deep sorrow, calling Shastri’s death a great loss to both the party and the nation’s democratic movement.
People's Review News Monitoring Service