Two journalists who asked Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli if he was Hitler or a dictator have had their Parliament passes suspended.
The Federal Parliament Secretariat provides passes for entry into the Parliament building.
The Secretariat has suspended the passes of two journalists for one month, saying they asked disrespectful questions to PM Oli. The journalists had posed those questions to PM Oli on the Federal Parliament building premises on February 16.
Based on a secretary-level decision by the Secretariat, Prakash Oli of the YouTube channel "Sunaulo Nepal" and Kishor Kumar Shrestha of the channel "Yuwa Man Nepal" have been barred from entering the Parliament building for one month.
The Secretariat said that the behavior displayed by the two journalists on the Parliament premises violated parliamentary decorum and discipline.
Although the Journalists’ Code of Conduct says that journalists and media must engage in objective, fair and dignified journalism, and must not produce, publish, or distribute content contrary to public decency and morality, Shrestha and Oli used inappropriate language contrary to the fundamental values of journalism and labeled the prime minister a dictator and Hitler, according to the Secretariat.
The Secretariat has given the journalists until Wednesday to return the passes issued to them for access up to the media center.
During a parliamentary meeting on February 17, Surya Thapa, a lawmaker from the ruling CPN-UML, drew the Parliament's attention to the words used by the journalists when asking questions to the prime minister.
“When the prime minister was leaving after the question-and-answer session, he was asked, ‘Are you Hitler?’. Does a prime minister elected by Parliament become Hitler?” Thapa said while addressing the Parliament meeting.
“Can questions be asked using abusive language and making accusations playing the role of paid media on somebody’s directions? Are friends from media who come to report with the permission of the Parliament Secretariat allowed to ask irresponsible questions without regard for the Constitution, law, Journalists’ Code of Conduct, and social etiquette?” Thapa questioned.
The Federal Parliament Secretariat then inquired who the YouTubers were that asked such questions to the prime minister. The Secretariat found that Kishor Kumar Shrestha of "Yuwa Man Nepal" had called PM Oli a dictator and Prakash Oli of "Sunaulo Nepal" had called him Hitler, and barred them from entering Parliament for a month.
Shrestha, a resident of Urlabari-6, Morang, was a candidate for ward member from the UML in the 2022 local elections. Bam Bahadur Shrestha of the Nepali Congress won the election securing 1,009 votes while Shrestha received 633 votes.
A source at the Federal Parliament Secretariat said that Prakash Oli is also a member of the Lumbini province committee of the All Nepal National Free Students; Union (ANNFSU), the student wing of UML.
