Rajan's Relationship With MCC Is Older Than Gagan, Competition Between Both MCC Supporters In Kathmandu-4

Nov 13, Kathmandu- This time, Congress General Minister Gagan Kumar Thapa and UML's foreign department chief Dr. Rajan Bhattarai are going to compete in Kathmandu-4.

Thapa, who has created the image of the most popular youth leader in Nepali politics, has expressed his displeasure saying that he played a role in passing the MCC, while Bhattarai also contributed to the introduction of the MCC from the beginning. Therefore, in Kathmandu-4, the main competition is going to be between the candidates supporting the most controversial Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) project this time.

In the year 2066 BS when the then UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal was the Prime Minister of Nepal, the government started the work for the MCC project. At that time, Dr. Rajan Bhattarai was in the role of foreign affairs advisor to the Prime Minister. After that, all the governments that were formed continued this process. Most of the work was done by the government led by UML president KP Oli. All that time, Rajan Bhattarai was the foreign affairs advisor.

CPN-UML, which tried to pass the MCC during its government, did not attend the meeting to pass the MCC. But with the support of the ruling Congress and the Democratic Socialist Party, which were in favor of the MCC from the beginning, the MCC was unanimously passed by the House of Representatives on Falgun 15, 2078, after the support of the Maoist Center, the United Socialist Party and the Janata Samajwadi Party. When it was passed, the then newly elected General Minister of Congress, Gagan Thapa, played an effective role according to the decision of the party. He had not seen any role before that. But Dr. Rajan Bhattarai, Head of UML's Foreign Affairs Department and Foreign Affairs Adviser to the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, was involved in the process of passing the MCC 12 years ago.

He had claimed that the American project MCC was in the interest of Nepal and Nepali on Falgun 14th, the day before the MCC was passed. In the eighth session of Nepal Intellectual Council of Banke, leader Bhattarai said that MCC will contribute to the development of Nepal in the long term. He stated that various provisions and conditions are placed in the projects given by other countries and claimed that the provisions and conditions placed in the MCC are natural. He said that America has put various conditions and provisions in the agreement to secure its investment.

The next day, when there was an agenda to approve the MCC in Parliament, his party CPN-UML was undecided, but he stood by the MCC. When Oli was in the government, Bhattarai played a direct role in writing a letter to the US and getting it into the parliament. Although he seems to be neutral after the passing of the MCC, his relationship with the MCC seems to be deep.

According to Rajan Bhattarai's suggestion, Oli also introduced the MCC in Parliament during his tenure. But when the same report submitted by Oli was submitted by another government, UML remained undecided. Even after the MCC was passed, Bhattarai was maintaining his opinion in favor of the MCC. Rajan Bhattarai commented that the immature behavior of parties and leaders in MCC has damaged Nepal's international relations in the long term. Therefore, Rajan Bhattarai has an older and deeper relationship with MCC than Gagan Thapa. Looking at it this way, it is seen that the voters who have split with Gagan Thapa due to MCC will not go toward Rajan Bhattarai.