Any law against press freedom not acceptable to NC: President Deuba

Kathmandu. Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that any law against press freedom would not be acceptable to his party. At a news conference organised by NC Central Office here on Sunday, President Deuba blamed the government of forwarding the bill with an intension to curtail press freedom and added that the NC would protest against such act in and out of the parliament.

Saying freedom, justice, equality are NC’s significant basic principles, he said, “Freedom is first basic right. One can write, speak and live in this freedom. The move of controlling the freedom will not be acceptable.” Also former Prime Minister, Deuba expressed the view that people’s situation would not be known if press becomes weak or it does not get rights, clarifying that press freedom is his party’s ideology and there would be no compromise on it.

He said, “Press freedom is essential for democracy. We had fought for press freedom and people’s rights during Panchayat regime.” The bills on human rights commission and press were brought to snatch rights of that bodies, blamed NC President Deuba. “We are ready to go to jail again if needed”, he added.

The NC said that the bill designed to amend and integrate laws related to Media Council is against the word, sentiment and aspiration of preamble of the Constitution. Similarly, NC Joint General Secretary, Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, said that the NC was against the proposal, saying any proposal giving unnecessary problems and punishment to media sector in many pretexts would not be acceptable to the party.

Likewise, Chief Whip of NC, Bal Krishna Khand demanded the government to bring the bill as per the constitution after withdrawing it.