KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 23

The House of Representatives will start a debate on the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Nepal Compact tomorrow.

According to HoR Secretary Gopalnath Yogi, lawmakers will take part in general, as well as comprehensive, debate on the compact. Tomorrow, a government minister is expected to seek a debate on the compact.

Since the CPN-UML has been stalling House proceedings, debate will be conducted amidst the obstruction.

As per the HoR Regulations, the minister seeking a debate on the compact could ask the House to send the issue to a relevant panel for a clause-wise debate or to start a general debate.

The government is likely to ask the House to start debate, as the US, which has pledged $500 million grant for infrastructure development under the project, has set a deadline of February 28 to secure parliamentary ratification of the compact. As per regulations, a comprehensive debate will be held after conclusion of the general debate.

Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota has called a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee which will further decide on the MCC debate process.

The US has said that if Nepal fails to secure the parliamentary ratification of the deal, the pledged assistance could go to some other country that is keen to get American assistance.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Balkrishna Khand today met CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli and CPN-Maoist Centre Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal separately.

According to a member of Oli's private secretariat, Ram Sharan Bajgain, Khand sought the UML's help to pass the MCC compact, but Oli reiterated his position that unless the party's demands were addressed in the HoR, its lawmakers could not take part in any parliamentary proceeding.

According to CPN-MC Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal's Personal Aide Ramesh Malla, Khand conveyed the PM's message that he wants to keep the current coalition intact but also wants the MCC compact to be ratified. Dahal told him that his party had already decided to vote against the compact.

Dahal said the coalition could be kept intact if the MCC compact was put on hold. Dahal said the compact could either be sent to a parliamentary panel or put to vote only after the UML ended obstruction.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 24, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.