KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 19
The Madhav Kumar Nepal-led CPN (Unified Socialist) chose a middle path on the Millennium Challenge Corporation deal by deciding to allow the government to table the MCC deal in the Parliament even if the CPN- UML continues its obstruction.
The CPN (US) Standing Committee decided that MCC deal could not be accepted in its current form, but the party would be ready to debate it in the Parliament, read a press release issued by General Secretary of CPN (US) Beduram Bhusal.
CPN (US) leader Ganga Lal Tuladhar told THT the party would let the government table the MCC deal in the House irrespective of the CPN-UML's obstruction of the House.
CPN (US) Secretary Ram Kumari Jhakri echoed Tuladhar.
"We have made our decision and we have not set any condition that the UML should end obstruction in the House for the government to table the MCC deal," Jhakri said.
A CPN (US) source said they chose the middle path on the MCC deal controversy because the party wanted to save the ruling coalition.
CPN (US) Spokesperson Jagannath Khatiwada, however, contradicted the party's official decision saying that an end to House obstruction was a precondition for tabling the MCC deal in the House. Khatiwada even said that the MCC deal was not the agenda for formation of the coalition government. Khatiwada said that if the PM forcibly pushed the MCC deal ahead in the Parliament, he would fall in minority and he might have to step down.
The CPN (US) decision is different from coalition partner CPN-Maoist Centre, which had set the condition for forging consensus among coalition partners and ensuring that the CPN-UML did not obstruct House proceedings, for tabling the MCC deal.
On February 17, the CPN-MC parliamentary party urged the government not to table the MCC deal without forging national consensus or at least consensus among coalition partners.
CPN-MC Chief Whip Dev Prasad Gurung had said the government should not move the MCC deal ahead without removing 'unequal provisions that undermine Nepal's interests'.
The CPN-UML has been obstructing parliamentary proceedings accusing Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota of bias. The main opposition party said 14 former lawmakers were expelled by the party, but Speaker Sapkota did not confirm their expulsion.
Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa said the CPN (US) decision to allow a debate in the House of Representatives on the MCC deal was positive. Those who were saying the MCC deal should not be tabled in the House at all were not doing the right thing. The argument was against the norms and rules of democracy, Thapa argued. "When a debate begins in the House, we will try to dispel doubts on the MCC deal. We will also ask our coalition partners to vote in favour of the bill, but they will be free to vote for or against it. Our only concern from the beginning was that no party should oppose the idea of tabling the deal in the House," Thapa added.
The United States, which has pledged to provide $500 million to Nepal for power transmission and road upgradation project has served a deadline of February 28 to secure parliamentary ratification of the deal.
The CPN-MC and CPN (US) have said some provisions of the MCC deal are against national interest and they need to be amended before parliamentary ratification. A few months ago, MCC had sent clarification dispelling all doubts about the provisions. The government is expected to table the MCC deal in the HoR tomorrow.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 20, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
