Basnet apologizes to Samikshya, edits controversial Facebook post

KATHMANDU: CPN-UML Politburo member and former minister Mahesh Basnet has publicly apologized to popular singer Samikshya Adhikari after a Facebook post he wrote sparked controversy and allegations of character assassination.

The dispute began last Saturday when Basnet published a status on his Facebook account, which Adhikari said indirectly targeted her and reopened past emotional wounds.

Feeling deeply hurt by the post, she addressed a strongly worded open letter to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli—who is also the chairman of CPN-UML—expressing her distress over being defamed by someone she described as the Prime Minister’s trusted confidant.

In her open letter, Adhikari expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Oli for a recent post that gave her strength and emotional support.

However, she said that relief was short-lived. “Before the ink on your post could dry, your close confidant Mahesh Basnet wrote something that indirectly accused me and assassinated my character,” she wrote.

Adhikari questioned Basnet’s intentions and asked if he would have written such things had he thought of her as he would his own daughter. “There were times in life when I knowingly accepted defeat just to let someone else win. The whole nation knows this,” she said. “Basnetji, would you have dared to write this if you imagined me and your own daughter standing in the same place?”

Following the public backlash and emotional appeal from Adhikari, Basnet issued an apology, stating that his original post was not meant to harm anyone’s dignity. In an updated version of the post, Basnet explained that he was merely clarifying his position on continuous attacks against him and that Adhikari was not the target.

“I simply tried to clarify ongoing accusations against me. Some references may have been interpreted otherwise, but I had no intention whatsoever of defaming or harming anyone’s character,” he wrote. “If my words have hurt Samikshya’s sentiments, I sincerely apologize. I have revised my post accordingly after understanding her feelings.”

The incident has sparked widespread debate on social media, with many praising Adhikari’s courage to speak out and hold public figures accountable. Meanwhile, others have emphasized the importance of responsible communication, especially from political leaders and public figures.