# Prem Sagar Poudel
Leaders of the ruling coalition are in dilemma after Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba stepped up his activism to get the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) approved by parliament. The parties are divided on whether to submit the MCC to Parliament for approval. Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota has been blocking the MCC from being tabled in the parliament due to CPN (Maoist Centre) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
The government had registered a proposal to ratify the agreement with the Secretariat of the House of Representatives as per the decision of the Council of Ministers on Magh 25, 2075. In which the then Finance Minister Dr. Yuvaraj Khatiwada was the proposer.
At that time, Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara was the speaker. Instead of advancing the proposal submitted by the NCP (NCP) government, Mahara had blocked it. Mahara, who resigned after being accused of sexual harassment, is now at the decision-making level of the Maoists.
The issue of the recent MCC ratification is also being speculated on the basis of its impact on Nepalese politics. The parties have started looking at MCC from the angle of the benefit in the upcoming election. Therefore, it cannot be said that MCC will not be included in the agenda of the Parliament for discussion. In such case, the MCC will be the subject of heated debate in Parliament. The so-called big parties have not yet come out from the benefits.
Now the UML seems to be in opposition to the MCC. UML has been saying that it will clarify its position only after the decision of the ruling coalition. The ruling party has not even discussed with the opposition party. Prime Minister Deuba has not even held discussions with the UML, which has been blocking the parliament for a long time. This does not mean that the UML will support the ruling coalition to pass the MCC. However, this is only the strategy of the UML. UML chairman KP Oli’s desire now seems to be focused on only one thing. That is, the election of the House of Representatives in the coming Baishakh.
After the dissolution of the House of Representatives on Poush 5, 2077, UML Chairman Oli has been accused of being a accessory of retrogression. Unified Socialists, a new party formed after the split of the UML, celebrated Poush 5 as a black day. CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Dahal was also present on the occasion. UML is trying to celebrate Falgun 1, People’s Movement which was started by the CPN (Maoist Centre) as a black day. The issue of 17,000 deaths, hundreds of thousands of structures destroyed and thousands affected could be the main election slogan of the UML in the upcoming election. In such a scenario, pro-human rights activists are likely to raise their voices against Maoist Chairman Dahal in international forums.
Maoist Chairman Dahal has understood this issue. That is why the Maoists want to be protected after passing the MCC. In doing so, US support remains with him. That could change American thinking about tagged him as a terrorist leader. Chairman Dahal could use the MCC as an opportunity to silence voices against him in international fora through the Americans. Maoist leader Dinanath Sharma, who is close to Chairman Dahal, has publicly stated that the MCC was stopped only because of the UML. He made it clear that “there is no problem within the Maoists to pass the MCC.”
There are currently two factions within the Maoists regarding the MCC. Leaders Dev Prasad Gurung, Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Lilamani Pokharel are of the view that MCC should not be passed under any circumstances. Apart from leader Dev Prasad Gurung, the group is considered to be among the Maoists but a group that has come to get benefits. During the 10-year armed insurgency led by the Maoists, the group seemed to be in disarray. Amik Sherchan had linked the group with the then Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala. The group, which helped bring the Maoists into the peace process, joined the Maoists after the peace process. Dinanath Sharma of the same group was involved in the Maoist insurgency.
The members of the MCC study task force formed by the coalition are also Shreshth on behalf of the Maoists. Earlier, Jhala Nath Khanal, the coordinator of the task force formed by the NCP (NCP), is now the coordinator of the MCC task force of the alliance. The task force concluded that the MCC was part of the US Indo-Pacific Strategy and pointed out more than a dozen issues that needed to be clarified. The task force concluded that MCC should not be passed in the current situation without amendment. The report to be submitted by the task force in the next few days will make it clear that the conclusion was made only to embarrass the Chairman and Prime Minister Oli or genuine.
Nepali Congress is in favor of MCC. More than half of the Maoist MPs are in favor of preserving the ruling coalition even after passing the MCC. They are considering passing the MCC on the basis of an agreement that the ruling coalition will move forward until the next three-tier election. For this, the Nepali Congress seems to have to show commitment. Based on the reply to the letter written by Finance Minister Jarnadan Sharma to the MCC, the Maoist leaders are thinking of interpreting this as development assistance only. Finance Minister Sharma has been interpreting the issue of MCC in the party accordingly.
Even though the Unified Socialists now seem to be against the MCC, the party is trying to find a commitment of party unity and alliance with the Maoists within a year. In such a situation, the Unified Socialists will take the side of the MCC. The Maoist center is holding a program in the name of ‘National Conference’ without holding a general convention on 11-13 Poush. No party leaders were invited to the inauguration. The Foreign Communist Party has also not been invited. This means that the Maoists want to hold a general convention of unity by uniting with the communist parties, including the Unified Socialists. It is understood that the Maoists did this to bring Nepal, the leader of the Unified Socialists, into confidence. With the unification of the party unity among the communist thinkers apart from Oli, the issue of election and post-election continuity will become clear then the Unified Socialist will be opened in favor of MCC.
While the ruling coalition parties are clearly in favor of the MCC, UML Chairman Oli will oppose it. His only basis will be to go to the polls by consolidating the votes against the MCC. In such a situation, UML will have to face the ruling coalition in the election alone. The UML will take a side of the MCC if the Nepali Congress agrees to break the alliance and hold elections to the House of Representatives in Baishakh. Therefore, in recent times, the issue of MCC is becoming the matter of bargaining for the parties.
The interests of the parties in the MCC as a whole can be seen as follows:
1. Nepali Congress: It seems to be planning to strengthen the relationship with the Americans by passing MCC.
2. Maoist Center: Going to the polls by preserving the ruling coalition. It seems to be planning to find a basis to restore the lost faith in the international arena.
3. UML: To destroy the ruling coalition and dissolve the parliament. It seems that they are planning to go for the election of the House of Representatives in Baishakh.
4. Unified Socialist: Go to the polls by preserving the ruling coalition. The party seems to be planning to find a basis for unity with the Maoists.
