12 dailies close after Prachanda remark

Kathmandu, June 1: A day after their chief Prachanda warned the media of serious consequences if it criticises his party, the Maoists went into a damage control mode saying the comments were a "joke" even as 12 newspapers shut shop in western Nepal due to terror unleashed by the former rebels.

"Prachanda was just joking pointing to a news coverage by the Kathmandu Post that predicted the Maoists getting only 15 seats in CA polls," the CPN(Maoist)’s second in command Baburam Bhattarai told journalists at a reception hosted by Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) on Saturday evening.

"We will no longer tolerate criticism as we have already been elected by the people... We have become the largest party," Prachanda was quoted as saying at a party rally here on Friday.

The FNJ, which has said Prachanda’s remarks were against press freedom, claimed 12 newspapers in western Nepal city of Dhangadi in Kailali district had shut down their publication indefinitely due to threats by Maoists a day after he threatened to take action against popular daily the Kathmandu Post and other newspapers.

—PTI