Kathmandu: CPN-Maoist Central Committee Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has called UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli. On Thursday evening, Prachanda telephoned Oli asking him to decide on the US-backed Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), said Vishnu Rijal, deputy chief of the UML’s propaganda department.
In the MCC, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Chairman of the Maoist Center, called yesterday evening and said, “You have already promised to pass KP Oli after his removal. After his removal, we will pass it in 4-5 months.” You have done the written paper. He is currently in power and has 165 members in the House of Representatives. The CPN (UML) will decide first, ‘said Deputy Chief Rijal, quoting the two presidents. Rijal said that the opinion of the CPN (UML) was clear whether foreigners or locals should ask about the MCC.
The issue of immediate approval from the MCC parliament has caused a rift in the ruling coalition. Congress, however, is in favor of approving the US grant aid agreement. The Maoist center, the CPN-Unified Socialists, are not in favor of immediate ratification of the agreement. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is in favor of getting the US grant aid agreement approved by the parliament as soon as possible. However, Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota has appeared in the role of goalkeeper in Deuba’s ‘Dau’.
Prime Minister Deuba and Prachanda jointly wrote a letter to the MCC headquarters. Therefore, Deuba has the moral responsibility to get the approval of the SCC Parliament anyway. Prachanda, on the other hand, is increasing the pressure on Deuba to decide on MCC only after the election. Sapkota has been pushing the House of Representatives meeting under various pretexts as he does not want to take the MCC into the decision-making process of the parliament ‘easily’ as the Prime Minister wants.
On Thursday, Prachanda and CPN-U Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal met Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Deuba and discussed about MCC.
The United States has called for an end to the US aid package. On Thursday, US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Trump called Deuba, Oli and Dahal and urged them not to be confused.
Assistant Minister Lule has warned that if the MCC does not get approval from the parliament, it could affect the relations between Nepal and the United States. He said he understood the meaning of China’s intervention if the grant aid project was returned.
