CPN (Maoist Center) and CPN (Unified Socialist) have been rattled after the former's discussion with the main opposition CPN-UML on Thursday.
The two communist parties in the ruling coalition that had claculated Nepali Congerss (NC) cannot immediately ally with UML were taken aback by the vehement support for the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact by Chairman KP Sharma Oli during the meeting with Maoists.
The parties, that have already decided to vote against the MCC Compact, have now concluded to try to find a way to save the ruling coalition fearing that Prime Minister (PM) Sher Bahadur Deuba may be close to a deal with UML and the political course may go against them.
Apart from stressing that the MCC Compact is not against national interest Oli also reiterated UML's demand that Speaker Agni Spakota should either implement the party's decision to expel 14 lawmakers of the then Khanal-Nepal faction of the party by publishing a notice to that regard or resign over not implementing that decision during the meeting with Maoist leaders including Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
The fact that NC and UML have intensified meetings recently and Deuba and Oli met twice Thursday itself has compounded matters for the two parties. Unified Socialist has grown more suspicious fearing that the party may not even remain in existence after reports that NC leaders said that the demands of UML can be considered.
A Maoist source confided with Setopati that the party has sent a message to Deuba to not immediately take decision to ally with UML. "Deliberation has already started in Maoist Center to explore any way for amendment of the MCC Compact," the source added.
Top leaders of the second largest party in the coalition met Friday morning and decided to take initiative to find a way to ratify the MCC Compact after amendment and also save the coalition.
"PM seems determined to ratify the MCC Compact at any cost. There is a chance of the coalition being broken for that. We are saying that we should discuss to try to find a middle way," another Maoist leader said.
Maoist Center is also divided on the issue of MCC even though no leader has spoken in support of the American grant as the party has already formally decided to vote against it. Some leaders want the MCC Compact to be sent back from the House after refuslat to ratify it while some are in favor of ratifying it after amendment.
Some also opine that it should be ratified even without amendment as the party's leaders have been involved at different stages in the process leading up to signing of the MCC Compact.
Dahal is seeking time to find a way to ratify the MCC Compact but Deuba seems determined to ratify it by February end while the chance of ratifying it after amendment also looks a non-starter with America already clarifying that there can be no amendment.
It is trickier for Dahal to find a safe landing as he has already mobilized party cadres on the streets for aggressive protest against the MCC Compact.
Unified Socialist is also under pressure for ratification of the MCC Compact with ministers from the party supporting it.
PM Deuba has recently intensified consultations with CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and seems ready to break the ruling coalition and form a new one with UML to get the MCC Compact ratified. But he is said to still prefer to save the ruling coalition and ratify the MCC Compact if that is possible.
The two parties may become flexible on the issue of MCC seeing that.
