We were compelled to pass MCC Nepal Compact agreement: Dahal

KATHMANDU: CPN (Maoist Center) Chairperson and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that his party was compelled to approve the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement under pressure.

Speaking at the launch of the book Nepalma MCC (MCC in Nepal), written by Maoist Center Lilamani Pokhrel, in Kathmandu on Wednesday, Dahal said his party voted to ratify the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Nepal Compact agreement in parliament only after attaching interpretive declarations and keeping the option open for protests if necessary.

“At the time, there was a risk that the MCC Nepal Compact agreement would be passed in its original form. So we were forced to approve it with explanatory notes and with the possibility of launching protests if required,” Dahal said.

Dahal claimed that the Maoist Centre studied and debated the MCC Nepal Compact agreement thoroughly from the beginning and ultimately found an appropriate resolution.

Recalling his time in the unified Nepal Communist Party (NCP), Dahal said he led a task force to sudy the MCC and recommended against approving it.

“After observing the firm stance of both the CPN-UML and the Nepali Congress in support of the MCC later on, we arrived at the conclusion that it would not be possible to amend the agreement,” Dahal said. “That is why we insisted on attaching the interpretive declarations.”

Dahal also claimed that the Maoist Centre had taken the clearest and most resolute position against both the MCC and the Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS).