HEADLINE NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

PM's spouse refutes news in Deshantar
Press told not be used as weapon in battles for power

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmndu, March 3: Social activist Dr. Arzoo Deuba today strongly refuted the news item printed in Deshantar weekly of March 3 regarding her alleged attempts to influence government officials in awarding construction projects to contractors close to her and her involvement in the purchase deal of an aircraft for the Royal Nepalese Army.

"I am shocked that such a well-established newspaper has seen it fit to indulge in purposeful character assassination of not only myself but also of my brother and other members of my family who are in no way connected to the issues put forth by the newspaper," Deuba, who is the wife of the Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, told a press meet organised at the Prime Minister’s residence at Baluwatar.

She said the news item was totally ‘fabricated’. "The whole news item is nothing short of a piece of fiction. I would like to seriously take up this issue."

She said: "In this game of politics I am being used as a ‘possible’ loose cannon against my husband and his sincere attempts to steer this country towards a more peaceful and prosperous path."

"As most of you know, my primary identity in this country is that of a social worker and a rights activist, besides being the wife of the Prime Minister," she said and added that her entire life had been devoted to these issues, and that she would continue to serve the country and its people.

She further said that she invited the Press because her rights as a free citizen were being hindered and because she believed that to tolerate injustice was equivalent to doing injustice.

"I would like to point out that women in Nepal in every era have always been tarred with a black brush and I am also becoming a victim of this traditional ‘negative’ portrayal of women, especially those close to powerful men," Dr Deuba stated in a press release. "I refuse to be used and victimised in this manner as the allegations against me are false, and I will not be a silent victim as we Nepali women are taught to be. Especially as I know I have done nothing as described in the "news item."

Stressing on transparency and accountability in the operation of the government, Dr. Deuba said the Press had a responsible role in providing factual information to the public. "Should the Press lower its own dignity and be used as a weapon in personal battles for power? Should the responsible Press not check facts before printing them?" she questioned.

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