KATHMANDU: Minister for Information and Communications, Sherdhan Rai, has clarified that the government has not made any decision regarding the name of National Mass Media Academy.

Minister Rai said so while talking to office-bearers of the Nepal Press Union at his own office.

He said, "No decision has been made to remove the name of Krishna Prasad Bhattarai from the Academy and has not been removed. So, it is not such a big issue."

The NPU has been protesting for the past few days, citing the incumbent government was trying to remove the name of Bhattarai from the Academy.

Stating that the Ministry was trying to forward the necessary processes for the formation of Academy with a priority, Minister Rai expressed the view that the bodies concerned should hold discussions and settle it if there was a dispute in the name of Academy.

He said that a decision would be taken by holding talks with Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala in this regard.

NPU President Badri Sigdel said that consensus was forged at a political level to form the Academy with the name of founder President of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, and added that it would be disrespect to Bhattarai if his name was removed from the Acadmey.

Present on the occasion were Minister's press advisor Matrika Paudel, NPU Deputy General Secretaries—Bhismaraj Ojha and Saloja Dahal, among others.