Ruling NCP's week-long central committee meeting begins in capital

KATHMANDU, Jan 29: A central committee meeting of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) began at City Hall in the capital on Wednesday morning.

Chairperson KP Sharma Oli, who is also the prime minister, inaugurated the week-long meeting at 11 am. He is currently addressing the party's 441-member central committee. Most of the central committee members have already reached the venue.

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NC Central Committee meeting begins

Executive chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal is presenting a political report in the meeting later today. Subsequently, the report will be distributed to the central committee members.

The meeting will run till February 5. This is the second time the party is holding its central committee meeting after the two largest communist forces—the CPN (UML) and CPN Maoist (Centre)—merged and launched the new communist party in the country in May 2018.

The ruling party's central committee meeting is taking place at a time when all are eyeing on how the NCP will deal with some thorny issues, including the party’s position on the $500 million MCC grant being dangled by the United States.

The party is sharply divided over whether or not to endorse the US grant through parliament. A section of the party’s leaders is opposed to the endorsement, arguing that the aid proposal is part of a ‘military alliance’ under America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. Key NCP leaders including Prime Minister KP Oli and Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali are, however, for parliamentary endorsement without further ado.