The Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoist) is a Maoist political party and military organisation founded in 1994. It is led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal also known as Prachanda.
The Maoists, who follow the guerrilla strategy of "People's War", control large regions of rural Nepal where people do not comply with the government.
While the Maoists claim that they want to overthrow the oppressive monarchy and are fighting for the rights of common people, critics say that they have contributed to several extra judicial killings and human rights violations.
Some of the major Communist leaders of Nepal are:
Pushpa Lal Shestra
Tulsi Lal Amatya
Keshar Jung Rayamjhi
Mohan Bikram Singh
Manmohan Adhikari
CP Mainali
Nirmal Lama
Sahana Pradhan
Madan Kumar Bhandari
Madhav Kumar Nepal
Prachandra
Baburam Bhattarai