Professionals demand public apology from Dahal

KATHMANDU, May 9:  A group of 27 professionals including professors, doctors, journalists, lawyers, engineers, human rights activists and civil society members have denounced remarks by UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal against professionals, intellectuals and the middle class people during his Saturday´s speech.



Terming the opposition leader´s expression undemocratic, irresponsible and indecent, they have demanded that former Prime Minister Dahal apologize in public for his remarks.[break]



"We believe his expressions are condemnable. We urge him that as a responsible leader he should apologize publicly," the statement jointly issued on Sunday by them said. "Also, we request [him] not to speak the language of threat and war denigrating Nepali voters and Nepali citizens at large in the days to come."



They said professional intellectuals, business community, human rights defenders, artistes and commoners were seriously concerned over Dahal´s remarks.



While addressing the party´s mass meet at Tundikhel on Saturday, Dahal had accused journalists, writers, intellectuals, business community and middle class Kathmanduites of humiliating the rural folks who came to Kathmandu Valley to participate in the Maoist agitation.



He had said Kathmandu-based neat and clean intellectuals need to be clear whether they want peace or war. Nepali people have kept record in their minds on who wrote what, he threatened. Dahal had also described those who joined peace assembly led by business community and civil society Friday as state-sponsored vigilantes.



"This is an indecent act of spitting venom and making baseless accusation against the people who spontaneously joined the assembly," the statement said. They have also condemned Dahal´s warning against independent writers, journalists and others that he would settle the score in the future.



Those issuing the statement include Kul Chandra Gautam, Prem Bahadur Khadka, Dr Kedarnarsing KC, Professor Dr Binod Kumar Shrestha, Professor Khagendra Prasad Bhattarai, Professor Gunnidhi Neupane, Shambhu Thapa, Prateek Pradhan and Bhimarjun Acharya.



Meanwhile, issuing a separate statement on Sunday, the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has said Dahal´s statement has created terror in the media sector.



The FNJ has said Dahal´s statement is a serious allegation against free press.

• Listen/download Dahal´s speech (in Nepali)
  
  

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