Deputy Leader of BJP in the Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters today that parliamentary accountability demands that if the government does not get a majority in either of the two Houses during the FDI debate and voting, then it should scrap the executive decision on it.
He emphasised that in such a scenario, the government cannot go ahead and implement the FDI decision on the pretext that it is an executive decision and does not require approval of Parliament.
The Presiding Officers in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have said the debate and voting will be held in the Houses under Rule 184 and Rule 168 respectively.
With UPA having only 94 members in the Rajya Sabha, it will have to bank on BSP (which has 15 MPs), SP(9) and the nominated members.
BJP is confident that Left parties, NDA allies-JD(U), SAD and Shiv Sena, as well as AGP, TDP, AIADMK, INLD, TMC, BPF, JMM and a couple of independent members will vote against the FDI decision.
If SP and BSP abstain, the government will find it difficult to have a majority in the Upper House.
BJP has got another handle in the FEMA (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2012 notification- which will have to be laid in both Houses and approved- before the FDI decision is implemented. BJP said categorically it will oppose the regulation when it is laid in Parliament.
"We will use all parliamentary instruments to get the FEMA regulation notification annulled," Prasad said. (MORE)
