KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 20
Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa expressed hope that by the time the Millennium Challenge Corporation deal would be put to vote in the House of Representatives, ruling coalition partners would change their mind and vote in favour of the deal.
Talking to mediapersons at the Parliament building here today, Thapa said if the MCC deal was anti-national then UML lawmaker Bhim Rawal should be the first shout slogans against his party Chair KP Sharma Oli for endorsing the deal from his cabinet in the past. "If the MCC deal is anti-national then CPN-Maoist Centre and CPN (Unified Socialist) lawmakers should first shout slogans against their party chairs Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal respectively," Thapa said in an oblique reference to Dahal and Nepal's involvement in the MCC deal process.
Thapa urged the ruling coalition partners to end their double standard on the MCC deal and choose to either support or oppose it.
"The current trend of the mentality of half of the leaders of the coalition partners supporting the MCC deal, and half of them opposing the deal should end," he added.
Thapa said the NC-led government had fulfilled its duty by tabling the MCC deal, which was registered by the erstwhile government led by KP Sharma Oli. When asked if the MCC deal could lead to split in the current coalition, Thapa said, "When the government fulfils its obligation, it is not concerned about the consequence."
Thapa said his party was ready to discuss two matters - passing a declaratory note on the MCC or stricture along with the MCC deal. He hoped that the coalition partners would be ready to vote in favour of the deal.
The United States of America has served an ultimatum of February 28 to secure parliamentary ratification of the MCC deal. He said today's debate that saw the participation of almost all the parties including CPN-UML lawmaker Bhim Rawal's proved that the argument that obstruction in the House should end to debate on the MCC deal, was not valid. "Now the lawmakers will take part in the MCC deal debate the way they did it today," Thapa said. He also urged the CPN- UML to take part in the MCC deal debate.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 21, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
