Tanka Prasad Acharya

Tanka Prasad Acharya (Nepali: टंक प्रसाद आचार्य; 11 February 1912 – 23 April 1992), also known as Jeudo-Shahid ("Living Martyr"), was a Nepali politician who served as the 19th Prime Minister of Nepal from 1956 to 1957. He was one of the founders and the leader of the Nepal Praja Parishad, the first political party in Nepal with the goal of removing the Rana Dynasty's dictatorship. Acharya was voted the leader of the group. Dharma Bhakta Mathema was also the gym instructor of King Tribhuvan, and Tribhuvan explicitly gave his support to the organisation. The group became more extreme as time went on, and later, in 1940, they planned the assassination of multiple officials in the Rana government. However, they were discovered after someone informed the government of their plan. however Acharya was not executed, for he was a Brahmin, and the killing of Brahmins was not allowed under Nepali law at the time. Instead, Acharya was sentenced to life in prison.

Post-revolution political career Following the 1951 Revolution, Acharya was released from prison and pardoned by King Tribhuvan. Acharya and the Nepal Praja Parishad were part of Matrika Prasad Koirala's government in 1953, and remained a part of the opposition to the dominant Nepali Congress.

Premiership In 1956, King Mahendra made Acharya Prime Minister. Acharya resigned as Prime Minister in July 1957.

Post-premiership By the 1959 Nepali elections, there had been a split between Acharya and Mishra in the Nepal Praja Parishad, leading them to run separately. Acharya's faction of the Nepal Praja Parishad won 2 seats, whereas Mishra's won 1. After King Mahendra's 1960 coup where he installed the Panchayat system, Acharya was arrested and put in prison. He was released the following year, though he made little political impact.