Minister for Communications and Information Technology Parbat Gurung has said that declaring elections to seek a fresh mandate cannot be an unconstitutional step.

Addressing the first annual general meeting of Working Dalit Journalists’ Association Nepal here today, he said it was totally wrong to say that seeking a fresh mandate was a violation of freedom and a coup.

The government spokesperson said in the present situation there was no alternative than to go for polls. “The elections will give a political way out to the current situation, hence we should all start preparing for it, Gurung said.

On a different note, the CIT Minister said the journalists should be guiding the society rather than creating anarchy in the name of press freedom.

He also stressed on the need for an end to untouchability that remains as a blot in the society, and it can be done through collaborative effort of all.

Central Secretary of Federation of Nepalese Journalists Ram Prasad Dahal stressed on addressing the issues of the Dalit community through a policy decision. He also called for enforcement of the working journalists act, and putting an end to the situation where journalists are forced to carry banners instead of reporting news.

At the function, senior journalists Kosmos Biswakarma, Govinda Pariyar, Baburam Biswakarma and Prakash Chandra Pariyar were felicitated.

Source: RSS