MCC to be tabled on Friday: Law Minister Badu
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dilendra Prasad Badu said the government would try two more days to seeking consensus among political parties and table MCC in the House of Representatives on Friday.
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had requested the Speaker to table the MCC on Wednesday. However, after differences between the ruling coalition parties over the MCC escalated, the government is preparing to hold further discussions in the coalition and set a table for Friday’s meeting.
After the meeting of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Law Minister Dilendra Badu said that efforts were being made to create an environment where everyone could work together.
86 protesters arrested
Police have arrested 86 protesters who were protesting against MCC. Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Santosh Singh Rathore said that the protesters were arrested from Babarmahal and Baneshwor.
CPN (Maoist Center) leader Narayan Kaji Shreshtha himself was in the street.
Deuba to agree on Prachanda, No agenda on tabling MCC today
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement will not be tabled in the House of Representatives on Wednesday due to disagreement between the ruling parties.
During a meeting between Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Chairman of CPN (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, it was agreed not to table MCC in Wednesday’s meeting.
After the meeting of the party’s parliamentary party, Prachanda reached the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar to inform about it. According to Prachanda’s secretariat, Deuba and Prachanda decided not to table MCC agenda on Wednesday and to discuss the issue with the ruling coalition on Thursday.
All the ruling parties except the Congress are in favor of not presenting the MCC in Parliament.
Meeting of Business Advisory Committee continues
A meeting of the Business Advisory Committee is underway to decide the agenda of the House of Representatives for today. At the meeting, the ruling CPN (Maoist Center) is raising the issue of not having an agenda to table the MCC in Wednesday’s meeting.
Meanwhile, the Congress is raising the issue of having an agenda to table the MCC. The main opposition party CPN-UML, on the other hand, did not attend the meeting.
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If MCC is forced to move forward, We willleave the government: Maoist Center
The ruling CPN (Maoist Center) has concluded that the MCC should move ahead without national consensus and should not sit in the government morally if it has to vote against it.
With this conclusion, Chairman of the Maoist Center Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda has gone to Baluwatar to hold discussions with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
According to Maoist Center leader Giriraj Mani Pokhrel, the leaders briefed the meeting that if the government moves the MCC forward in the current situation, the Maoists will face a moral crisis and in that case they will not be in the government.
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Meeting of Parliamentary Party of Maoist Center begins
Meeting of the parliamentary party of the CPN (Maoist Center) has started. A meeting is being held at the office of the parliamentary party in Singh Durbar to decide on the MCC.
Though CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda sent a joint letter to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba saying that he was in favor of passing the MCC, the party has not made a formal decision.
Despite the letter being sent, some leaders, including Chairman Prachanda, are in favor of passing it with amendments, while leaders including Dev Gurung are in favor of sending it back. There is a possibility of MCC table in today’s meeting of the House of Representatives.
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Protest rally in Maitighar
A group of youths affiliated to Maoist Center, CPN (Unified Socialist), Netra Bikram Chanda led Nepal Communist Party, among others have staged a protest rally in Maitighar, Kathmandu. However, the number of youth is very small, and a heavy presence of security is present there.
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No effect of Nepal Banda
A call for Nepal Banda in protest against MCC show almost no effect today. However, most of the schools and colleges remain close in Kathmandu, and few public vehicles plying in the street.