‘The Deuba-led government tabled MCC under US pressure’
KATHMANDU, Feb 23: Former Prime Minister and CPN (Unified Socialist) leader Jhalanath Khanal has claimed that PM Sher Bahadur Deuba-led government tabled the US-funded Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact agreement in parliament “after he was unable to bear the US pressure”.
Former Prime Minister Khanal said that the three-member task force formed by the government to study the MCC agreement also had its own views as the leaders have sided with the views of the party they are affiliated with. He said that some of the conditions in the MCC were unnecessary and objectionable and that the task force had found nine new agreements in the course of the study between the MCC's 2017 document and the 2019 agreement.
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“While studying the MCC document it is found that after ratifying the grant agreement, Nepal has to abide by the US National Security Concept, which is not acceptable to Nepal,” Khanal said. Stating that Nepal has to abide by the conditions of liberal economy, liberal democracy, market and economy, present and future laws of America after ratifying the MCC grant agreement, Khanal said that the project should not be passed by parliament at any cost.
Former Prime Minister Khanal also said that even though the MCC agreement was said to be for a five-year project, it is mentioned in some articles and sub-articles that the project would be permanent.
Former Prime Minister Khanal accused the Nepali government of bowing down to the US, a superpower, and tabling the MCC agreement in parliament. Former Prime Minister Khanal said that the MCC agreement was not reached between two governments but between the Government of Nepal and a corporation of the US. Stating that MCC is not an international agreement, Khanal said that the agreement should not be ratified through parliament just because the US said so.
Furthermore, He said that it was a shameful act on behalf of the government to table the MCC at parliament by going against the constitution of Nepal. He claimed that PM Deuba has been manipulated by the US.
Talking to media personnel, Khanal said that the CPN (Unified Socialist) will vote against the MCC compact agreement. He challenged PM Deuba to amend the MCC grant agreement by bargaining with the US with the support of the country, people, parliament, and the ruling alliance if he had the courage, wisdom, and vision to do so.
Furthermore, Khanal said that it is more democratic to join the CPN-UML if the Nepali Congress is in favor of passing MCC by going against the national interest. He also said that the parties in the government might have to go their separate ways if the grant agreement is passed by parliament.
