Kathmandu, February 3
Sources have revealed that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is not happy with his Nepal Communist Party central committee’s recent decision to form a task force to study and seek feedback on the controversial Millennium Challenge Corporation deal signed between Nepal and the United States in 2017.
Before concluding the five-day meeting, the central committee had formed the three-member panel comprising Jhala Nath Khanal, Bhim Rawal and Pradeep Gyawali. However, Oli, one of the two chairmen of the party, had wished that the meeting would decide for endorsing the deal at the earliest. But he could not force the central committee to decide in his favour as he was left alone in the nine-member secretariat about the deal.
During the secretariat meeting held just before the final session of the central committee meeting, Oli tried to push the leaders for a decision about endorsing the deal saying the comments about the deal were made just to save their face. But, another chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and senior leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhala Nath Khanal opposed him saying around 80 per cent central committee members have criticised it.
Even the leaders such as Ishwar Pokharel who were advocating for its endorsement also did not open up. Consequently, Oli reluctantly agreed to commission the task force, according to the sources.
