KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 9
While the issue of Millennium Challenge Compact, an agreement backed by the United States, has been stirring national politics in recent days, eight fringe parties, particularly those with communist ideology, staged protests against it in the capital yet again today.
Of those staging the protest are Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal, Mohan Bikram Singh-led NCP Masasl, Mohan Baidyaled NCP Revolutionary Maoist, Rishi Kattel-led Nepal Communist Party, Bishwo Bhakta Dulal-led Scientific Socialist Communist Party, Karnajit Budhathoki-led NCP Maoist Centre Socialist, CP Gajurel-led Deshbhakta Janaganatrantrik Morcha, and Chitra Bahadur KC-led Rastriya Janamorcha United jointly organised the protest.
The protest was organised as per a decision made by these parties and alliance on February 6.
Cadres of the parties had marched from Maitighar to Baneshwor to converge at the House of Representatives.
Participants shouted slogans and displayed placards that warned the government and lawmakers not to support the MCC and condemned the agreement backed by the US.
Slogans such as 'Back off USA / MCC from our nation', 'Reject MCC', 'Say no to MCC', 'Down with MCC' and 'Save the Motherland', were chanted and displayed through placards.
The MCC agreement has sparked heated debate in recent times after Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the chair Nepal Communist Party-Maoist Centre wrote a joint letter to the MCC on September 19, asking the US government to provide up to five months time to secure the ratification of the deal.
Copies of the letter along with reply letters from the MCC were made public by some media a couple of days ago.
Replying to Deuba and Dahal, the US warned that Nepal could lose a $500 million grant if it failed to endorse the deal by February 28.
This sparked a stir in national politics as the two major forces of the coalition government - Deuba and Dahal - are divided over ratification of the MCC through the Parliament. Deuba has been saying that the MCC should be passed from Parliament, while Dahal, including another leader of the coalition Mahav Kumar Nepal, are reluctant to pass the compact.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 10, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
