This week, a multi-million dollar U.S. aid project was presented to the Nepali Parliament for ratification, sparking large scale protests in Kathmandu. The project, entitled the Millennium Challenge Corporation, plans to provide $500 million in grants to fund a 187 mile long electricity transmission line and road improvement project in Nepal. As a United States government aid agency, its stated mission is to “work with partner countries to promote growth, help people lift themselves out of poverty, and invest in future generations.” In response to the ratification of this project, thousands of protestors gathered in the nation’s capitol, Kathmandu, and were met with police force. Utilizing tear gas and water cannons, police forces worked to disperse the almost 3,000 protestors gathered. 

Opposition to the grant has been growing for some time, with many opposition forces constituted of Communist parties. Such opposition is centered around the idea that the grant challenges Nepal’s sovereignty and legitimacy. The Millenium Challenge Corporation has stipulated that there are no conditions and the grant does not have to be repaid, but Nepali citizens see the lack of control and oversight the Nepali officials will have on the project as a direct threat. Despite these direct protests, Nepali officials plan to continue forward with the initiative, citing the employment and economic benefits, and also global credibility. The Minister for Communication and Information Technology Gyanendra Bahadur Karki said the project would benefit 24 million people, according to Reuters. Another spokesperson for the Nepali Congress Party, Prakash Sharan Mahat, stated that “backtracking from the commitment would erode Nepal’s credibility.”

These protests come at a time of contention in Nepal’s politics. Last month, a second Chief Justice, Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana, was impeached due to seven years of corruption allegations, with a senior judge Dipak Karki taking over as acting Chief Justice. Impeachment proceedings in Nepal are enacted if 25 percent of the House agrees, leading to automatic suspension. The motion was a “swift and secret operation,” combining 98 signatures from a variety of parties such as the Nepali Congress, Unified Socialists, and Maoist Center. Rana has been specifically charged with abusing authority and failing to “discharge his duties” and has been subject to protests from lawyers and justices who refuse to share the bench with him.

Ultimately, the protests surrounding the Millennium Challenge Corporation parallel similar infrastructure initiatives occurring across Asia, and the important role of government entities to consider the citizen voices and protests that arise in response. A violent state response will only incur more violence and incite political grievances, and as Nepal contends with internal corruption affairs and political positions, these protests come at an interesting time.