The second day of the winter session of Parliament witnessed the government and the Opposition quibble over the term “consultations” in the policy on foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi- brand retail. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stuck to its demand for discussion on the matter in Parliament followed by voting, the government insisted that extensive discussions were carried out by commerce minister Anand Sharma with all state chief ministers.
The BJP accused the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of going back on the assurances given by former finance minister Pranab Mukherjee that no decision on the FDI would be taken until there was a consensus among all stake holders. The government’s argument is that it has consulted all “key stakeholders” such as chief ministers and retail groups.
While no business could be transacted in either House for the second successive day, the issue was top priority at the Congress core committee’s weekly meeting today. The committee was told that commerce minister Sharma was ready with documentation to prove that extensive discussions were carried out with every state and its chief minister, including Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
In parallel, to keep its powder dry, floor managers from the government also reached out to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to persuade them to abstain, in case the matter was taken up for voting. Sources indicated that the government might agree to a vote on the FDI issue, but it was crucial for the government to see how the resolution is worded.
While the BJP and the Left parties have moved motions entailing voting after discussion, the UPA has so far resisted this on the ground that it was an executive decision that does not require Parliament’s approval.
“Our stand in the all-party meeting on Monday will be that the debate should be under Rule 184 (which entails voting) in Lok Sabha,” said BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain. Hussain said the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the BJP top brass had failed to end the deadlock as the main opposition did not budge from its demand.
With the BJP taking the stand that it won’t allow Parliament to function unless the government allows a vote, the government might soften its stand.
