A lion never eats grass: Dr KI Singh

"I am K.I. Singh, so I am not a grass eater. A lion never eats grass." (In 1979)

Dr KI Singh

Kunwar Indrajeet Singh (1906 – 4 October 1982 AD/ 1963 Baisakh 13- 2039 Asoj 29 BS) was Prime Minister of Nepal for four months in 1957. He was known as the 'Robin Hood of the Himalayas' after initiating an extensive land redistribution scheme in the early 1950s. He was a member of the Nepali Congress. In 1981, he joined the breakaway Nepali Congress (Subarna).

He is also the first known Doctor of Nepal known as Dr K.I. Singh. He also played important role for revolution against autocratic rana rule of Nepal.His full name is Dr. Kunwar Indrajeet Singh, but is popularly known as Dr. K.I. Singh. He worked in India, and Burma (Myanmar) in the Japanese occupied areas during 1932-34. In 1946, he joined the Nepali National Congress Party and actively participated in the 1950-51 revolution against the Ranas to establish democracy in Nepal. Because of his strong opposition to the 1950 agreement, he was arrested and jailed for 6 months. He escaped and fled to China but returned later after Amnesty by King Mahendra. He also served as the Prime Minister for four months in 1957. He was jailed for 17 months because of his involvement in Satyagraha but was released subsequently after the order of Supreme Court in 1965. He was also appointed as a member of the Rastriya Panchayat for two terms. 

Dr. Singh, not too many Nepalis have forgotten, was a fierce critic of the "Delhi Compromise". Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru forced on Nepal as part of independent India's version of the Monroe Doctrine. Indian troops entered Nepal to suppress Dr. Singh's rebellion. He was brought to Kathmandu and jailed. Following a revolt by his armed supporters in 1952, Dr. Singh fled to China. He returned to Nepal and became premier five years later, Dr. Singh had been urging Nepalis to be more grateful for the economic assistance their "greatest friends" to the south had been providing.

King Mahendra invited Dr.K.I. Singh, the leader of the United Democratic Party, to form the Government.

Dr. Singh could not get support from other political parties, so he formed a Cabinet of the United Democratic Party on 26th July 1957 (11th of Shrawan 2014 B.S.). Other ministers of Dr. Singh's Cabinet were Purendra Bikram Shah, Parshuram Mathema, C.B. Singh, Dambar Bahadur Singh, Ramadhin Mahato, Jivaraj Sharma, Kul Bahadur Limbu, Bhupal Man Singh, Padma Narasingh Rana and Laxmi Prasada Devkota.

Politicians were scared of Dr. Singh because common man had full faith in his words.Dr. Singh attempted to get independent control, but later he quit ruling after 110 days as Prime Minister. Thus Dr. Kunwar Indrajit Singh became the Prime Minister for the shortest period in the democratic period of the History of Nepal. 

A leader who refused Mercedes Benz (those days) as a gift from Russian Embassador saying "I am a poor mans leader, how can i travel in such an expensive car". He was an undaunting, honest and fearless son of Mother Nepal. In 1982, he died due to throat cancer at the age of 76.