Tulsi Giri (born तुलसी गिरि, 26 September 1926 – 18 December 2018) was a prominent Nepali politician who held top executive positions during a formative period of modern Nepal. He is best known for serving as chairman of the Council of Ministers — a de facto prime ministerial role — in the early 1960s and later as Prime Minister from 1975 to 1977. His long public career made him a central actor in the monarch-led Panchayat system that shaped Nepalese politics for decades.

Political career and offices

Tulsi Giri served in multiple top-level posts during and after the 1960 royal takeover that brought the partyless Panchayat system to the fore. His principal tenures included the chairmanship of the Council of Ministers between 1960 and 1963 and again intermittently in 1964–1965, and a later formal term as Prime Minister from 1975 to 1977. These roles placed him at the center of executive government and administrative reform during a period of consolidation of monarchical authority.

  • Chairman, Council of Ministers (de facto head of government): 1960–1963, 1964, 1965
  • Prime Minister of Nepal: 1975–1977

Historical context and significance

Giri's career is closely linked to the political system known as the Panchayat, which emphasized direct rule by the monarch and non-party governance after elected institutions were suspended in 1960. In this context, senior officials like Giri administered government policy, oversaw development programs, and navigated tensions between modernizing pressures and traditional authority. His leadership years coincided with efforts to expand state services, consolidate administrative structures, and manage relations with neighboring countries.

Observers note that figures who served under the Panchayat often remain controversial: praised by some for stability and administrative continuity, criticized by others for diminishing party democracy. Giri's public life therefore illustrates the broader trade-offs and debates that characterized Nepali politics in the mid-20th century.

Death and legacy. Tulsi Giri died on 18 December 2018 at the age of 92 from liver cancer in Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu. His passing prompted reflection in Nepal on a generation of leaders who guided the country through a prolonged period of monarchic governance and political transition. He is remembered as a consequential, if contested, figure in Nepal's modern political history.