This, Maobadi press freedom

The Maoists today exhibited the extent of their totalitarian vision.

The Maoists leadership must be happy to know that their cadres today successfully demolished printing press of Kantipur Daily and also tried to set fire in the premises of Kantipur Office. Of course, they have to be. This did not happen in 238 years of monarchy, 15 years of king's democracy and 18 months of king's dictatorship. I do not remember anything similar could take place in "glorious" insurgency of Maoists (though I have not forgotten the mruder of journalist Gyanendra Khadka). In all sense, it was a history and the dates could be improtant for lecturers of Nepali journalism.

"Press is dangerous". This is the most common welcome note you will find when you visit a government officer. They want to stay at the office and wait the "sanktranti" to grab the salary. They just do not want to be in problem by telling the journalists what is truth. Similarly, the party leaders also consider the media persons as their enemies. They want the journalists to be either their puppet and work as their "Prachar Prsar Bibhag" or do not want to talk with them.

We know quite well, none of the governments - either in the Panchayati regime, during the king's democracy, or any other period - were tolerant to the press. They want all the newspapers to be the pet dogs of the government, mainly the ministry of information is set up to control the media and to force them to speak in favour of the government. That is why none of the governments were ready to privatize Gorkhapatra and The Rising Nepal, which toot the government's horn out of the tax payers' money. And that was the reason the Maoists were doing all the "nakhara" to get hold of the ministry of information.

And this is the climax of Maoists are showing dictatorship's character. They have let some of its cadres in the publication house and forced the management and the journalists to obey to what their leaders say. When they failed to make the journalists write positive of all the indirect insurgency they are carrying out in the country , the came to the level of "dadagiri".

Otherwise, how can you take everything naturally, when there are hundreds of factories, industries and other service centres in the country but only the employees of the media houses are ill-treated? And even in the media houses, there are other trade unions, which are affiliated with other parties. Why those trade unions do not see any problem anly only the Maoist trade unions are feeling unethical suppression? It is as clear as day, the Maoists want to quell press freedom.

The king's day came to the end right from the day when he started to quell the press freedom. Does the Maoists of Nepal also want the same? I really believe the Maoists do not like the same thing to happen to them.