“It is not an attack related to the dispute between the Himalmedia management and the workers who were sacked,’ said Nepali Congress chief whip Laxman Ghimire. “It is linked with a news report entitled “majdoor ko nam ma badnam (disparage in the name of workers)” that appeared as cover story in the latest issue of Himal Khabarpatrika.”
Pradip Gyawali of CPN-UML, Hridayesh Tripathi of Tarai Madhes Democratic Party, Prakash Chandra Lohani of Rastriya Janashakti Party, Jagya Bahadur Shahi of Nepal Workers and Peasants´ Party, Pratibha Rana of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Kunti Shahi of RPP-Nepal, Prem Bahadur Singh of Samajbadi Prajatantrik Janata Party and Yadu Bamsha Jha were among others to condemn the Maoist attack on Himalmedia. They claimed the government could have taken action against the management if it had violated any law instead of mobilizing the ruling party cadres to attack a media outlet.
Maoist lawmaker Salikram Jammakattel who appeared in the magazine’s cover story, however, said his men did not attack the media outlet. He claimed some people from outside made the attack when a dialogue was going on between the All Nepal Trade Union Federation and Himal Khabarpatrika magazine management. “Here in parliament, everybody speaks about rights of the feudal and industrialists but ignores the workers who took us to this place,” he said.
NC Chief Whip Ghimire, however, said the assailants were known cadres of Maoists’ Hotel and Restaurant Labpr Union, and not Himal Media staffers sacked by the management as claimed by Jammakattel.
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