All-Party meet dwells on MCC and Parliament Obstruction; Main opposition boycotts meeting

Kathmandu / Dec. 19: The all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba today dwelt on the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) pact and the parliament obstruction.

“Political parties represented in the parliament were called for the all-party meeting to discuss the MCC and parliament obstruction. In the meeting today, there was an in-depth discussion on MCC and the parties reached an understanding to hold another meeting on the issue,” Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, told the reporters after the meeting at Baluwatar.

He said all the parties put forth their views on MCC but did not elaborate on their views.

Minster Karki, however, made it a point that it was unwelcome to keep the parliament hostage by continuing obstruction.

Except for the main opposition CPN (UML), all the other parties represented in the parliament were present in the meeting. The UML has been obstructing the parliament.

Prem Suwal, a member of the House of Representatives (HoR) and a leader of the Nepal Worker and Peasants’ Party, said that all the parties except for the main ruling Nepali Congress and another ruling party, Janata Samajwadi Party, viewed against endorsing the MCC in its current form.

Prime Minister and NC president Deuba, CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha, CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal and senior leader Jhalanath Khanal, Janata Samajwadi Party Chairman Upendra Yadav and leader Baburam Bhattarai, Lokatantrik Samajwadi Party Chair Mahantha Thakur and leaders of Rastriya Janamorcha, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and Nepal Workers and Peasants’ Party (NWPP) were present in the meeting.

While leaders of the RPP and NWPP viewed strongly that the MCC should not be endorsed, Maoist Center Chair Prachanda viewed that MCC could not be accepted unless and until it was amended. Maoist Center leader Shrestha stated that MCC could not be supported if it was forwarded without first making amendments to it.

General Secretary of CPN (Unified Socialist) Dr. Bedu Ram Bhusal argued against forwarding MCC before amending it while JSP leader Dr. Babur Ram Bhattarai, NC leaders Prakash Sharan Mahat and Ram Chandra Paudel viewed for forwarding the process to endorse MCC through the parliament. JSP leader Dr. Bhattarai even argued for forwarding MCC because it was signed during his premiership, according to NWPP leader Prem Suwal.