Minister of Information and Communications, Dr. Mohammed Mohsin-who is in the eye of storm following his remarks that the alternative to this government could be tough— has defended his views but said he was `misquoted.’

In an exclusive interview with the Image 97.9 FM, a Kathmandu-based private radio station, Sunday morning, Minister Mohsin said he had spoken about the `tough way ahead’ if the present government failed. “But I never mentioned that the option could be an authoritarian regime,” said the minister.

“I spoke to six major dailies on the day. But only Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post dailies referred to the term ‘authoritarianism.’ This shows that their reporting is not correct,” the Minister claimed. “If you go through all those newspapers, I have been quoted in a very different way,” he added.

Sources at the Kantipur Publications, however, refuted Dr. Mohsin’s allegations and said that the council of ministers meeting on Thursday had even endorsed what the minister said the day before.

“During the interaction, I myself and my colleague Narayan Wagle (editor of Kantipur daily) repeatedly asked the minister to clarify his statement and we have reported exactly what the Minister said,” Prateek Pradhan, editor of The Kathmandu Post daily told Nepalnews Sunday morning. “One of the participants has even got the tape record of what the minister said,” he added.

Talking to editors and publishers of leading dailies (including the government-run newspapers) at his ministry last Wednesday (Nov. 10), Dr. Mohsin-who is also the government’s spokesman-had said that the alternative to this government could be unthinkable. The Kathmandu Post daily quoted Dr. Mohsin as saying that a dictatorial system was required to bring peace and maintain law and order in the country, so that the sovereignty of the people could be handed back to them as soon as possible.

Responding to a query by Badri Pandey, host of the morning talk show at the Image FM, today, Minister Mohsin said all he meant was that the government would have to implement existing laws more strictly if murder and violence escalated in the country.

Citing the example of rise of Napoleon after the failure of the French Revolution and rise of dictatorship in Germany, Dr. Mohsin reiterated that rise of an authoritarian ruler would be unavoidable if the democratic exercise in the country failed.

Referring to recent violent protests in the capital in the aftermath of the killing of 12 innocent Nepalis in Iraq in late August, Dr. Mohsin said Nepalis express ‘tough reactions’ when our countrymen are killed in faraway places. “But we lack sensitivity when over a dozen Nepalis are losing their lives every day (due to conflict),” the Minister said. He also alleged that those living in the comfort of Kathmandu had failed to realize the hardships being faced by people residing in remote districts like Rolpa and Rukum.

Dr. Mohsin further alleged that those who criticized his remarks were suffering from ‘inferiority complex.’ Professional groups, opposition Nepali Congress party and leaders of the major coalition partner, CPN (UML), have criticized the minister’s remarks and have asked the Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to clarify on his statement.

Interestingly, responding to a query by media persons regarding Dr. Mohsin’s remarks at a public function in Bhaktapur Saturday, premier Deuba said he had not studied the said remarks.

Talking to the Image FM, Minister Mohsin also appealed the constitutional forces in the country to unite. “If we all couldn’t resolve (the problem of insurgency), nobody can say in which direction the country would head in future,” he warned.

When asked if he represented the King and royal palace in the council of ministers, Minister Mohsin said he was appointed upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister representing the civil society. He further complained that there had been a tendency to link every thing he said or did with the King or the palace. “This is all being done to undermine my four-decade long (association) as a student and scholar of the Nepali politics,” he added. nepalnews.com by Nov 14 04