Janatako Bahudaliye Janabad

Janatako bahudaliye janabad (or people’s multiparty communism/democracy, जनताको बहुदलिय जनवाद in Nepali) is a political thought created by Nepali Communist leader Madan Bhandari.

JBJ, which is Bhandari’s most notable political thought, has had a deep impact on Nepal’s Communist political ideology and the overall Communist movement in Nepal. Janatako Bahudaliye Janabad can be translated into English as people’s multiparty democracy or republic or communism. JBJ advocates that transition into communism is possible not only through revolution but also by contesting elections, i.e. by participating in and exercising multiparty democracy.

In his political documents, Bhandari advocates that, in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Marxist ideology suffered a serious setback and if it is to survive, it needs a reformed and a constructive approach. He advocated his ideology of JBJ as a ‘constructive use of Marxism’.

The core essence of Bhandari’s People’s Multiparty Democracy is that socialism or social transformation, in general, is possible without the use of overt violence like in traditional Communist revolutionary movements. He further proposed:

• Ideas of rule of law, multiparty democracy, human rights, freedom of speech, and a fair justice system are not part of or do not exclusively belong to capitalism. They are achievements of people’s fights and socialists should preserve, take ownership and integrate them into their broader socialist agenda.

• Like any other political party, communist parties too should get elected by the people.

• Communists can join a government or a ruling system even before a communist revolution, and such an opportunity should be used for progressive reforms and for strengthening the socialist ideological base.

Some of these ideas have suffered criticism from other Communist ideologues in Nepal. Some have likened his ideology to Eurocommunism and some have criticized that the idea of joining a government before a socialist revolution has given birth to corrupt Communist elites in Nepal.