ANPFa was established more than half-a-century ago in 1951. It has already
celebrated its golden jublee by organizing various activities nationwide. Nepali peasantry carries a long and self-secreficing history of struggle for national independence, democracy, freedom, human rights and self respect. Peasants were the main base for ending a 104-years long rule of Rana regime. The multi-party political system that emerged after the 1951 revolution also did not produce desirable results in favor of Nepali peasantry. Establishment of ANPA was immediately followed by a movement in various districts of the country involving hundreds of thousands of peasants, with the major issues being the elimination of exploitation of peasants and elevation of self-respect and professional dignity. The movement was launched demanding the destruction of forged bonds, distribution of feudal illicit accumulation of crop to the starving bare-footed people, settlement of tenant rights, liberation of bonded labor etc. Social dignity and benefits to poor farmers along with revolutionary land reforms programme were other core issues raised and campaigned at that initial period.
In 1959, King Mahendra through his military force seized back whatever limited rights Nepali people were experiencing after the ever first general election of 1958. This Royal coup was accompanied by the ban on all political parties, mass and professional organizations including ANPA. The draconian and retrograde move could not deter the commitment of ANPA. Obviously, it began to work underground and continued in its pursuit for social change. Some reform measures had been introduced regarding land issues by then regime because of the movement organized by ANPA. Consequently, a land reform act was declared in 1964. However, this socalled reform was not intended to end feudal land ownership, rather as it was a partial reform to quench down peasants' growing opposition. It could not change the life of those peasants who had been suppressed by generations' long exploitations.
In the 30 year long autocratic Panchayat dictatorship, that followed 1959 coup, Nepali peasantry strogly fought for its goals to restore democracy in the country and freedom for the peasantry. Thousands faced jail sentences, hundreds attained martyrdom during that long resistance. ANPA played a vital role in the 1990's democratic movement.
In order to achieve the set goals of the peasants' movement in the country, ANPA organized a series of campaigns by mobilizing general peasants' masses to pressurise the government and other stakeholders for policies changes at various levels. The main agenda of ANPA has been, epecially after the restoration of democracy in the country in 1990, asserting genuine agrarian reforms ensuring livelihood to landless and marginal farmers and resisting the World Bank led market driven model of land reform. The main focuses were to ensuring women's, indeginous, Dalit and minority groups's participation in the decision making process while formulating policies and the programs. The other issues raised are: preventing patents on life forms and stoping bio-piracy, call for a moratorium on GMOs, elimination of unnessary use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers, state commitment to guaranttee a profitable price for local farm products. Calling for a convention on food sovereignty, ensuring basic rights to health, housing and education of peasants, awareness building programs towards eradication of poverty, displacement and migration, implementation of sustainable agriculture and environmental protection, asserting peasants' democratic and human rights, campaigns on right to life, food and productive resources, asserting the rights of agricultural workers and to be organised themselves and the right to social security and rational wages according to the ILO convention were the other important aspects of the movement.
It launched several mass campaigns to meet the objectives. One of them was the long March called Mechi-Mahakali Peasants' March throughout the country covering more than 1,400 K.M. During that period 2 millions peasants were mobilized, thousands of peasants got united under ANPA, meeting local peasants at their villages and sharing their problems. It was really an unprecedented event that took place for the first time not only in the history of peasants but also in the history of the nation. ANPA, during that period, organised several mass meetings and informed people about its policies and programmes. It established an emotional link between ANPA and hundreds of thousands of general peasants scattered all over the country.
Nepali people had fought very hard for the democracy in 1990. However, it did not last for long. The King, in an unconstitutional act, dismissed an elected government and appointed his own lackeys as ministers under his own chairmanship violating the constitutional mandates and provisions. Furthermore, he ruthlessly snatched away all the people's rights vested in then constitution and imposed upon Nepali people an autocratic regime under his direct rule.
However, a joint and strong mass movement against this regime was launched to establish a full fledged democracy. After the 19-days long people's uprising, finally, he was forced to abandon his de facto military rule and to reinstate parliament and hand over the state administration to the people.
The people's movement got its goal only after the rural people turn over into the city centre. The role played by the peasants in then on-going movement was very much appreciated. They were seen with their farm tools in the struggle and marched from villages to capture the towns down to surround the capital city, too. They declared their occupied territory as democratic zone by defying curfews. A vast majority of peasants joined the movement by bringing all the members of their family too. The women peasants could be seen frequently with their breast feeding children in the struggle. Ultimately Nepali people got the victory without any comprise with anti-people elements. The autocratic Kingship ruling the country for the last 237 years was forced to surrender before the people.
Now the challenge before the Nepali people is to strengthen and consolidate these achievements they fought own through uprising. As per the road maps of the struggling people and the civil society, an election of constituent assembly for drafting a new constitution which is going to take place in the country in near future. Therefore, the need of the hour is to think of what sort of constituent assembly is to be set up, which can ensure all the rights of the people including agrarian reforms, access to productive resources, food sovereignty, gender equity and above all dignity of peasantry.
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