Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that he has already spoken with Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota about the tabling of the Millennium Challenge Corporation in Parliament.

“We are in favour of getting the MCC agreement approved by Parliament. I have already asked the speaker to table the MCC,” Deuba told a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party on Tuesday, according to Congress lawmakers.

After at least three deferrals of the House meeting over differences on the US grant, the next meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday.

At Tuesday’s Parliamentary Party, Deuba, who is also the Congress president, expressed confidence that the MCC compact would get the support of all parties, according to Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa.

The MCC compact, under which Nepal will receive $500 million in grants from the US for electricity transmission lines and road maintenance, has become a divisive force in Nepal. While Prime Minister Deuba is keen on its ratification from Parliament, his coalition partners—Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) and CPN (Unified Socialist)—are against it.

Deuba was learnt to have been in talks with UML chair KP Sharma Oli to seek support for MCC compact ratification amid reservations from his coalition partners about its tabling it in “its existing form.”

There were concerns if Speaker Sapkota could block the tabling of the compact in Parliament.

After continuous pressure from Washington for MCC ratification by the February 28 deadline, Congress, the Maoist Centre and the CPN (Unified Socialist) suddenly on Sunday moved an impeachment motion against Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana.

The UML has objected to the ruling parties’ move but has not made any position, saying it would take a prudent decision at an appropriate time. The UML has not made public its position on the MCC compact either. It has maintained that it would do what is needed to do once the government tables the compact in Parliament.

Thapa, the Congress general secretary, also said that Prime Minister Deuba also questioned the UML’s conspiracy and role in relation to the MCC compact.

“It was the UML government that registered the MCC compact in Parliament on July 15, 2019. Now, how can the UML leaders see any conspiracy regarding it?” said Thapa.

Thapa made the remark in response to a recent statement made by UML’s chief whip Bishal Bhattarai claiming that the UML will not support ratification of the MCC compact without amendments.

Nepal signed the MCC compact with the United States in September 2017. Those opposing its parliamentary ratification say some of its provisions undermine Nepal’s sovereignty and that there are some military components attached to it, as it is part of Washington’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. The US, however, has denied it.

Senior Nepali Congress leader and former finance minister Ram Sharan Mahat briefed Nepali Congress lawmakers about the MCC compact and why Nepal should ratify it.

“If we don’t ratify it, it will be a betrayal to the United States of America,” Mahat told the party lawmakers. “There should not be any ifs and buts and the Congress should ratify the compact.”

Thapa said that the Nepali Congress’ position on the MCC compact has been consistent since it was signed.

“The party is committed to its position,” said Thapa. “We had decided to ratify the compact; we will abide by our commitment.”