The Federation of Nepali Journalists has objected to a remark by Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire regarding journalists.

In a statement on Saturday, Roshan Puri, FNJ general secretary, said the remark by the Speaker seriously hurts the self-esteem of the entire media sector.

Speaker Ghimire, while meeting FNJ office-bearers on Friday, had said Nepali journalists and their organisations are ‘on sale’.

“It is very sad that the leader of the sovereign Parliament made a baseless and objectionable statement against the media sector going against his position and decorum,” reads the statement

The statement said the FNJ leadership had drawn attention to the Speaker’s remark through his secretariat and requested the Speaker to retract the remark.

The federation urges the Speaker to prove the claim or withdraw the baseless allegations and express full commitment to press freedom, the statement further said.