KATHMANDU, Feb 25: In what could be a major U-turn, the ruling CPN (Maoist Center), which has been against the idea of ratifying the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact agreement through parliament, has said that it is of the view of “concluding the proposal to ratify the US-funded compact agreement by keeping the current ruling alliance intact.” The party, however, is to come up with a new approach in regard to the matter, to save the ruling alliance.
An unofficial meeting of the party’s available former standing committee members today stressed the need for keeping the alliance consolidated as it was formed with an objective of safeguarding the constitution and its termination would not be in the interest of the nation and the people. The meeting was held at party Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s Khumaltaar-based private residence.
The House of Representatives (HoR)’s business has gotten hampered due to continued obstructions from the main opposition CPN (UML). “In the given context, continuity of the alliance is a need of the nation and it should be protected despite political differences over some provisions of the compact,” stressed most of the leaders present in the meeting.
Ruling alliance to continue even as Maoist Center has grudges o...
They shared the idea that the party may face an international trust deficit if it contributed to making the proposal a failure as the Maoist-led government and ministers from the party also got involved in the MCC compact procedures at different time periods. They floated the idea of supporting the document to get ratified through parliament.
According to party leader Haribol Gajurel, the meeting was univocal that the alliance should be kept intact despite the party’s differing views in regard to some of the MCC provisions.
Similarly, another leader Shakti Basnet said they would meet again to discuss other alternatives for protecting the alliance and taking the MCC proposal to a conclusion. “And this is the line of the party leaders until the situation gets changed.”
The ruling parties have so far been unable to build a common understanding on the MCC compact and even some of the coalition members have taken to the street, opposing it. A meeting of the House of Representatives called for today was expected to further proceed with the proposal, but it was postponed till Sunday, citing a special reason.
Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Dilendra Prasad Badu, met with Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota and urged him to postpone today's meeting and it was adjourned till Sunday.
The next HoR meeting has been scheduled at 1:00 pm on Sunday. Leaders of the ruling coalition said that today's parliament meeting was postponed as most of the leaders of the ruling alliance stressed the need for moving ahead by forging consensus among the ruling partners.
(RSS)
