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Guwahati: Nepal on Thursday banned all Indian news channels except the Doordarshan, accusing them of hurting the national sentiments of the people of Nepal. According to people familiar with the developments, the Nepalese embassy in New Delhi had informed the Indian government regarding its views on the coverage of Nepal's political developments by Indian news channels.
"We have stopped the distribution of all Indian news channels except Doordarshan," said Dinesh Subedi, the chairman of Multi-System Operator (MSO), foreign channel distributor, adding, "We have halted distribution of India's private news channels as they have aired news reports hurting Nepal's national sentiment.". Multi-system operators (MSOs) such as Dishome, Mega Max, DSN, and My TV decided to stop telecasting Indian news channels in Nepal from Thursday.
The move is believed to be a response to some of the Indian channels who aired reports critical of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and his government. However, the government of Nepal has not yet officially confirmed the ban.
Nepal's Minister for Finance, Information and Communication, Yuvraj Khatiwada, who has been critical of the reports of Indian channels, said, "Nepal government condemns such acts. The government will seek political and legal ways against such an objectionable act."
Nepal's Former Deputy Prime Minister and the spokesperson of the ruling Nepal Communist Party, Narayan Kaji Shrestha tweeted, "The baseless propaganda by the Indian media against the Nepal government and our Prime Minister has crossed all limits. This is getting too much. Stop with the nonsense."
The development comes at a time when territorial tensions are brewing between the neighbors. Nepal had recently come up with a new political map for the country which included three significant areas on the Indian territory Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura -- triggering a border row.