Kathmandu, 14 May: Using the social media platform Facebook, a person named Bidur Adhikari has made unfounded and offensive allegations against journalist Dipesh Shrestha.
On a Facebook post where Adhikari had written about political matters, several users had commented, including journalist Dipesh Shrestha, who responded with the following remark:
“Social media is not the sole domain of party affiliates—please be mindful. Such propaganda only exposes the shortcomings of party leaders and tarnishes the reputation of entire communities. If you go looking, you’ll find your own flaws too. Who do these leaders actually represent? Let’s not say too much. To find a selfless and incorruptible leader, perhaps one must be reborn.”
In response to Shrestha’s comment, Adhikari replied with a post full of accusations and personal attacks. Here is an excerpt from Adhikari’s post:
“No one has claimed that social media is only for party members. Those who say others’ secrets are exposed have themselves faced disciplinary action from journalists’ unions and federations. They wander around in the dark, throwing punches in the hope something sticks. While pretending to be above greed and personal interest, they have almost wet their pants upon being arrested—let’s not pretend we haven’t heard these stories. Therefore, everyone should self-reflect before engaging in moral grandstanding. Enough already.”
Journalist Dipesh Shrestha, who has built an international reputation, reportedly called Adhikari to request proof of the accusations, but Adhikari refused to listen.
Bidur Adhikari is affiliated with the Amul Parivartan Nagarik Party (Fundamental Change Citizens’ Party) and serves as the President of the Media Advocacy Forum Nepal. He is also the editor of Adhikpost, an online media outlet. According to journalistic codes of ethics, an editor of a media platform should not hold membership in a political party. However, Adhikari currently holds the position of Deputy General Secretary in his party
How Did the Dispute Begin?
Around a year ago, Dalmardan Kami, serving as chairman, initiated the formation of a new political party and was in the process of registering it. During this process, an existing but inactive party named Social Unity Party, with Chari Bahadur Gahatraj as chairman and Prem Karki as general secretary, came into focus.
General Secretary Karki, after obtaining Gahatraj’s resignation, merged the Social Unity Party with Dalmardan’s political initiative and retained the name Social Unity Party for the unified entity.
At the same time, another party with roots in Nepal’s Christian community, called the Amul Parivartan Republic Party, which had been politically active for over a decade, also joined the alliance under the agreement to move forward together. This collaboration had been ongoing for the past six months.
However, tensions surfaced last month when a team including Dalmardan Kami, Bidur Adhikari, and Prem Karki successfully registered a new political entity under the name Citizen Unity Party. Upon receiving the official certificate, internal disputes erupted.
During a party meeting, Chairman Dalmardan claimed that NPR 265,000 in bribes had been paid to facilitate the registration process. This statement was reportedly challenged by the Bharat Giri faction, who are said to possess an audio recording as evidence of the dispute.
Before the registration of the new party, Dalmardan was functioning as chairman under Bharat Giri’s Amul Parivartan Republic Party. However, once the new Social Unity Party was officially registered under Prem Karki, Bidur Adhikari, and others, tensions grew. Despite being publicly silent for a while, Bharat Giri reportedly held a party meeting on the 29th of the Nepali month (yesterday) without informing Giri and another vice-chair, where it was declared that their faction would split off.
This ongoing dispute was referenced by Bidur Adhikari in a Facebook post, to which journalist Dipesh Shrestha responded. In his response, Shrestha emphasized that even if political parties among the Christian community may not align, they should not act in ways that harm the reputation of the already marginalized Christian community.
What Happens Now?
Following this exchange, journalist Dipesh Shrestha has announced that he intends to take legal action against Bidur Adhikari, citing Articles 17 and 18 of the Constitution of Nepal as well as Sections 305 and 306 of the Criminal Code, as the basis for his case.
