The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) today defeated more than 20 opposition-sponsored cut motions in the Lok Sabha with a huge margin and, in the process, cleared the first stage in getting the House to approve the 2010-11 General Budget.
The UPA floor managers succeeded in keeping its two disgruntled outside supporters—Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)—out of the opposition loop, while securing the Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) vote in favour of the demands for grants.
Opposition parties, especially the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), cried foul over the government tactics. Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley alleged the government was using the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to arm-twist political leaders to support the government.
CBI is investigating separate cases against SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, RJD leader Lalu Prasad and BSP president Mayawati.
Last week, the Centre also gave an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that a public park being constructed by Mayawati's government in Noida, on the outskirts of Delhi, has not violated any environment guideline.
"The Congress knows very well how to run the government. They also know how to extract support from others. They continue to show their expertise on finding out who’s vulnerable,” CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said.
Buoyed by the last minute switch over of BSP and abstention of SP and RJD members, the UPA defeated the cut motions on demands for grants with a margin of 88 votes.
Due to failure of the machines, voting was carried out through paper slips.
Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar announced that the government secured 289 votes as against 201 of the combined opposition. Since the voting machines had failed, all the cut motions were clubbed and BJP and the Left parties had to come together for the vote.
Until last week, the opposition had estimated a wafer-thin majority of the government. The Left parties had calculated that the government would, at best, secure 273 votes in the house.
But the final tally shows that the government has emerged stronger at the cost of the opposition.
This was the first time in the history of the Lok Sabha that cut motions were moved at the guillotine stage on demands for grants. In parliamentary terminology, "guillotine" means taking up all demands for grants that are not discussed in the House.
The government would face another opposition challenge on April 30, when the Finance Bill comes up for voting. CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury told Business Standard that Left parties would again bring cut motions on the Finance Bill.
Despite today's defeat, opposition parties have decided to sustain their attack on the government. On Wednesday, they plan to stall the proceedings again over the IPL controversy and in support of their demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC).
Earlier in the day, the opposition did not let the House transact any business. This led to repeated adjournments. When the Lok Sabha finally reconvened at 6 PM to pass the demand for grants in the guillotine format, Mulayam Singh Yadav sought several sops for the poor. RJD chief Lalu Prasad said he would vote in favour of the cut motion only if the Left doesn't take the help of BJP. Amid protests from the BJP bench, both RJD an SP walked out of the House, reducing the opposition's estimated strength by 25 votes.
BSP chief Mayawati had in the morning only declared that her party would vote in favour of the government to prevent "communal forces" from gaining power.
The rift within the opposition was evident even when their members were disrupting the proceedings earlier in the day. While BJP members lashed out at the government over allegations of phone tapping and the IPL controversy, the Left, RJD and SP created an uproar over price rise.
The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said she was "shocked" to read in the newspapers the Prime Minister's remarked on the IPL issue. "This is not an ordinary thing. This is an insult to the august House," she asserted even as SP and RJD members came to the well of the House protesting against inflation.
The Lok Sabha had to be adjourned three times before taking up the demands for grants in the evening. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day when opposition parties disrupted its proceedings in the morning.
