By Review Nepal
Kathmandu, Nepal, February 4, 2020: It is being suspected that the ongoing severe division in the ruling head Nepal Communist Party (NCP) over whether or not to endorse the $500 million Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC) grant of the US government would translate into a seed to divide the party on the name of nationality.
As a section of the party leaders have opposed to endorse the multibillion US aid arguing that the aid is part of a military alliance under America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) despite the interests of the party leadership, it is likely that the three member committee formed under the leadership of senior leader Jhal Nath Khanal would not settle the row paving the way to endorse from the parliament.
As the NCP’s Central Committee meeting failed to forge a common understanding over the issue, a three-member committee was formed naming it as study committee over the grant agreement.
The committee formed on Sunday was been given just 10 days to come up with a solution. The Khanal led committee comprises Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Gyawali and former defense minister Bhim Rawal as members.
It is likely that the committee would not recommend the party to endorse MCC from parliament in a current state as two out of three members- namely Khanal and Rawal have already stood against of the aid.
If the committee formally recommends party not to endorse the aid from the parliament that will stand against the interest of party’s chairperson duo KP Sharma Oli and Puspa Kamal Dahal. The MCC grant has become most disputed issue within the ruling head NCP giving flavor of nationality.
Though the issue of MCC aid was surfaced now, it had already created hot debate within the ruling head NCP. The aid was supposed to be endorsed by the previous session of parliament. But it was not tabled after former Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara stood against of the aid.
