Bhishmaraj Angdembe Criticizes Government’s Decision to Withhold Advertisements from Private Media

April 30, Kathmandu – Bhishmaraj Angdembe, leader of the parliamentary party of the main opposition Nepali Congress, has expressed serious objections to the government’s decision to withhold official advertisements from private media outlets. He criticized the decision as an assault on the essence of democracy. He stated, “At times, the government tries to test the public pulse, but having a mindset that undermines the core of democracy is wrong.”

According to him, the decision to bar official advertisements from private media could jeopardize press freedom and weaken the financial foundation of private media organizations. He assured that Nepali Congress has taken this issue seriously and will prioritize it in parliamentary sessions and committee meetings. This statement was provided to a team from the Federation of Nepali Journalists on Thursday.

The Federation of Nepali Journalists has expressed strong opposition to the government’s policy of providing official advertisements exclusively to state media. As part of their protest program, a delegation including Federation President Nirmala Sharma and General Secretary Ram Prasad Dahal met with leader Angdembe to urge pressure on the government to revoke this decision. Additionally, Angdembe voiced concerns over the government’s practice of calling parliamentary sessions only to suspend them and pursue ordinances thereafter. He remarked, “After orchestrating a charade of calling and then suspending parliamentary sessions, the government is attempting to flood with ordinances, which is not a positive sign.”

He emphasized that in a situation where parliamentary sessions must be held within a week for budget discussions, it is inappropriate for the government to frequently issue ordinances without any emergency or natural disaster justifying such actions.