KATHMANDU: After the Cabinet meeting on Friday passed several ordinances, the ruling party, Nepali Congress, discovered that a fake press release had gone viral. The release, purportedly issued by party president Sher Bahadur Deuba, criticized the ordinances and their introduction.
Before the ordinances were issued, the top leaders of the two coalition parties held lengthy discussions at the Prime Minister’s official residence.
However, recent attempts to spread misinformation continued on social media, with a fake press release falsely attributed to Deuba’s name going viral.
This development prompted a strong objection from Nepali Congress’s publicity department head, Min Bishwakarma. He clarified that Deuba had not issued any such statement and condemned the spreading of misinformation.
“We are astonished to see that a fake press statement in the name of Nepali Congress President (Sher Bahadur Deuba) has been circulated on social media, fueled by malicious intent. This has drawn serious attention from our party,” said Bishwakarma. “We strongly condemn such unethical and illegal actions and urge the concerned authorities to take legal action against those involved in such unlawful activities.”
Bishwakarma has also requested that the public remain unaffected by such misleading activities.
Meanwhile, Congress chief secretary Krishna Prasad Poudel called the spreading of rumors objectionable and criminal.
“The fake press release in the name of the party president, which has been circulating on social media, aims to create confusion and disrupt the coalition government,” said Poudel, echoing Bishwakarma’s sentiments. “We strongly condemn such malicious acts and demand that those involved be brought to justice.”
What was in the fake press release?
The fake release, issued in Deuba’s name, claimed that the government’s delay in calling a parliamentary session had led to the introduction of ordinances. It criticized the government’s approach, stating that the government was bypassing Parliament by governing through ordinances.
“The current government’s approach of ruling through ordinances instead of calling a parliamentary session is highly objectionable,” the fake press release stated. “Nepali Congress strongly condemns the government’s decision to issue seven ordinances, including the ordinance on the Constitutional Council.”
The fake release was formatted in the style of a press statement from the Nepali Congress central office, complete with the party’s stamp and Deuba’s forged signature.
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