KATHMANDU: The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has dismissed as false reports claiming that it sent a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling the document “completely fake, fabricated and fictitious.”
On Friday, some media outlets reported that RSP Chair Rabi Lamichhane and senior leader Balendra Shah (Balen) had jointly written to the Indian prime minister. Refuting the claim, Shishir Khanal, head of the party’s International Relations Department, issued a press statement clarifying that no such correspondence had taken place.
The party said its serious attention had been drawn to news circulating in certain media platforms and social networks regarding a letter allegedly signed by Lamichhane and Shah and addressed to Modi. “We want to make it clear that the publicized letter is entirely fake, fabricated and baseless,” the statement read.
RSP stated that dragging the names of responsible political leaders into what it called an “unrestrained and unfounded rumor” on a sensitive matter such as foreign relations was highly objectionable.
The party further alleged that the misinformation campaign was sponsored with the intent to influence the general elections scheduled for March 5.
“It is evident that such sponsored propaganda was carried out to gain political advantage and to disturb bilateral relations between the two countries ahead of the elections,” the statement said.
The party urged media organizations and journalists to verify facts thoroughly before publishing news related to sensitive and nationally significant issues. It also appealed to the public not to be misled by false and inflammatory content circulating during the election period.
Khanal called on the concerned authorities to initiate legal action against those responsible for spreading the misinformation. “It is our collective responsibility to stand for truth and facts,” he said.
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