NEW DELHI, Nov 22:
Fissures in the Opposition over FDI in retail came to Government’s aid today as the opening day of Parliament’s Winter Session was washed out and Trinamool Congress’ move for a no-confidence motion flopped.
At the end of the day, the Government convened an all-party meeting on Monday to break the deadlock as BJP and the Left parties insisted on a discussion in Parliament on FDI issue under voting provisions.
BJP and the Left also snubbed former Congress ally Trinamool Congress whose motion fell in the Lok Sabha for want of numbers. Trinamool has only 19 MPs and for a no-confidence motion to be admitted a minimum of 55 MPs have to raise in support of it in the House.
SP and BSP, whose members disrupted both the houses by rushing to the well protesting against the cap on subsidised LPG cylinders and SC/ST reservation issues, refused to play ball with the rest of the Opposition.
The SP, which opposes FDI in retail, however, said it will not “piggyback” on the BJP over its demand for discussion on the issue under a rule that entails voting. Its arch-rival in Uttar Pradesh BSP played its cards close to the chest.
BSP chief Mayawati said the Centre should first decide under which rule it wanted discussion in Parliament on FDI.
“First Government has to decide, then we will make our stand clear on the floor of the House,” she said.
Earlier in the day before the start of the session, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh sought the cooperation of the Opposition in smooth running of Parliament, which has a heavy legislative agenda before it.
Singh reminded the Opposition of the obligation to work together to enable parliamentary democracy to grapple with the formidable challenges before the country.
On a day when the Lok Sabha was adjourned twice before being adjourned for the day at 2 PM, the BJP pressed for a discussion on the FDI in retail issue under Rule 184 which entails voting.
Left has already given notice for discussion under the same rule. Samajwadi Party has also given notice for adjournment motion on FDI, which Speaker Meira Kumar said was under her consideration.
Pressing for a discussion on FDI in retail under a rule that entails voting, Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj said the Government has shown contempt for the assurances given by then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who is now the President.
Swaraj said a vote on the issue would show that people of the country were against the move which would affect small traders.
She accused the Government of committing “gross insult” of Parliament by not fulfilling its assurance of taking the House into confidence on the issue.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said the Government was ready to discuss any issue on the floor of the House as long as it was within the rules of Parliamentary procedure.
“We cannot say we want it under this rule, on this day and at this time. We have to explain that this is not being reasonable,” he told reporters about the Opposition attitude.
Speaking at a meeting where CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury was also present, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said voting will have to be there on the FDI issue.
“Everybody will have to disclose their stand on the issue in Parliament. Without a vote this policy cannot be implemented,” he said, taking a veiled dig at SP and BSP noting that there were “some loyal Opposition parties”.
The motion, first in the current Lok Sabha, was moved by Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay and was supported by BJD.
However, it lacked the requisite numbers as only TMC’s 18 members and BJD’s three members supported.
The motion said, “This House expresses want of confidence in the Council of Ministers over its decision to allow 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail as it is going to harm millions of small businesses.”
The Speaker asked all those supporting the motion to stand up. Amidst chants of “shame shame” from Congress benches, TMC members stood up and there was a verbal clash too.
On seeing the lack of numbers, Kumar said, “The motion does not have the leave of the House”.
While the BSP members repeatedly stormed the well demanding dismissal of the Akhilesh Yadav Government in Uttar Pradesh, the Speaker disallowed a notice for an adjournment motion of the BSP on the issue of law and order situation in the state.
In the Rajya Sabha, Trinamool Congress and AIADMK raised the issue of FDI in retail when the House met at noon after the first adjournment. BSP members rushed to the well raising slogans and created uproar over the issue of reservation to SCs/STs in promotions.
“In our BJP and later the NDA meeting, it was decided that we would raise the demand for discussion on FDI in retail issue under Rule 184 in the Lok Sabha and similar provisions in the Rajya Sabha which entail voting. Government has shown disrespect to Parliament by not agreeing to a debate under this rule,” BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.
The UPA Government is of the view that since the FDI decision was taken through an Executive Order, there is no need for voting in Parliament on the matter.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj had given a notice under Rule 184 while her Rajya Sabha counterpart Arun Jaitley gave a similar notice under Rule 167.
Opposition unity may be one factor but others pointed out that the FDI in retail issue has also helped BJP keep the corruption issue at bay as it would also hurt the main Opposition with its president facing allegations.
BJP sources said Swaraj and other senior leaders felt FDI should be given preference over other issues as most Opposition parties were on board for voting on it. The party also felt this would force UPA ally DMK and supporting party SP- which have openly come out against FDI- to take a stand in Parliament.
Hussain said though BJP has been clear from the beginning that the UPA Government should be thrown out, Trinamool chief Mamta Banerjee did not get in touch with it or with parties like AIADMK- which are opposed to FDI- to solicit support for its no-confidence motion.
BJP clarified that only Trinamool leader Kalyan Banerjee had reached out to the party on the no-confidence issue and not Mamata. Today morning Sudip Bandopadhyaya also met Swaraj on the same issue but the party had made up its mind.
The party denied earlier reports that Mamata had contacted Swaraj to get BJP support.
Hussain said BJP also wanted to expose parties like SP whose chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had taken part in street protests on the FDI issue but is now keeping everybody guessing on whether it wants voting in Parliament on it.
“After withdrawal of support by TMC, the UPA Government has lost its majority and goes into a sweat whenever it comes to voting in Parliament… But since other parties were not on board on the no-confidence motion we did not want to bail out this Government on the issue. We preferred the FDI issue on which Opposition is united,” Hussain said.
BJP further maintained that though its top leaders- Advani, Swaraj and Jaitley- will attend the Prime Minister’s dinner, their stand on discussion and voting on FDI will not change. The party also said it will be firm on this stand even at the all-party meeting called by the Government on Monday.
BJP pointed out that when the NDA was in power it had agreed for discussion and voting on two crucial issues but the UPA is running away from it.
“On the BALCO issue we had agreed to a discussion under Rule 184. Even on the issue of who should be in the Cabinet the NDA had agreed to a discussion under the same rule,” Hussain said.
He was referring to a discussion and voting on Opposition demand during NDA rule that L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti should not continue as Ministers as they were facing charges in the Babri mosque demolition.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath has convened a meeting of all party leaders of both Houses of Parliament on Monday to discuss the issue.
“The Parliamentary Affairs Minister informed us in the Rajya Sabha Business Advisory Committee (BAC) that he will convene an all-party meeting on Monday. He also said he will talk to all party leaders in Lok Sabha and meet them separately on that day. Then a final call will be taken on the issue,” CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters here.
CPI leader D Raja also said Nath had assured BAC that he would meet leaders of all parties on Monday.
However, Yechury made it clear that the Left parties would not budge from their position of seeking a debate on Government’s decision to open up multi-brand retail to foreign investment under rules entailing voting.
Left parties have already moved notices under Rule 184 in Lok Sabha and Rule 168 in Rajya Sabha seeking disapproval of the Government’s decision on the issue. Under both rules, a debate is followed by voting on an issue.
Yechury accused the government of “violating” its assurance given in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively by then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma in December last year that “FDI in retail would be implemented after consultations with all stakeholders, including political parties and State Governments.”
In this context, he said CPI(M) MPs today submitted a notice of breach of privilege against Sharma for “contravention” of his assurance that the Government had suspended allowing 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail trade “till a consensus is developed through consultations among various stakeholders”.
Terming a discussion under a rule without the voting clause as “a meaningless exercise”, Yechury said earlier too, FDI in retail was discussed without voting and the Government had given the assurance that it would consult all stakeholders including political parties and State Governments.
“But these assurances not only remained unfulfilled but the Government decided to allow FDI in retail. So there is no point having a similar exercise once again. A debate on the issue should be followed by voting,” he said.
Rebutting statements by Congress leaders that executive decisions cannot be debated under voting rules in Parliament, Yechury said in March 2001 when NDA Government had decided to privatise BALCO, a similar motion was moved by then CPI(M) leader Rupchand Pal and voted upon after a discussion.
“Congress itself had supported our motion and voted with us with its senior leader P R Dasmunsi leading the debate. Congress cannot rely on falsification now to deny Parliament its right to discuss and vote upon such an issue like FDI in retail trade which has a vital bearing on the livelihood of at least a fifth of our population,” he said. The CPI(M) motion then got defeated.
Castigating Congress for “double standards”, Yechury said, “Wiser counsel should prevail and the Government should allow voting in the matter.”
On Trinamool Congress’ no-confidence motion which fell in Lok Sabha at the first stage of admission itself, he said moving such a motion when it was clear that it would not find no place was to “provide an escape route” to the Government, instead of making it accountable to Parliament and the people.
“The tactics adopted by TMC, thus serve the interests of not only saving this Government but to provide it with a legitimacy to carry forward such anti-people, neo-liberal economic reforms. The Trinamool Congress is acting as the B- team of Congress,” the CPI(M) leader said.
On the issue of Samajwadi Party joining the Left and other parties on the issue, he said SP had earlier joined hands with the Left, TDP, JD(S) and BJD in the nationwide strike on the issue. “AIADMK had also separately protested the decision,” he said.
The opening day of the winter session of Parliament saw numerous adjournments of both the Houses before proceedings were called off till tomorrow.
The House of the People witnessed four adjournments and the Council of States two.
Trinamool Congress members created pandemonium in the Lok Sabha over the issue of the Government’s decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail sector and Samajwadi Party members staged a protest seeking an increase in the quota of LPG cylinders in Uttar Pradesh.
The Lower House was adjourned first till noon, then till 1230 hrs, 1400 hrs and finally for the day.
As soon as the House met at 1400 hrs, AITC and SP members trooped into the Well and started raising slogans.
They were joined by BSP members who raised their demand for the dismissal of the Uttar Pradesh Government over what they called deteriorating law and order in the State.
All appeals of Karia Munda, who was in the Chair, fell on deaf ears following which he adjourned the House till tomorrow.
Earlier, the House saw three adjourments before this on the same issues.
The Rajya Sabha witnessed uproar by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Trinamool Congress Members over the issues of promotion quota for SC/STs and foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail sector.
The House was adjourned twice, the second time for the day.
As soon as the House reassembled at 1200 hrs after the first adjournment, the BSP Members reached near the Chair demanding reservation in promotion for SC/STs in Government jobs.
The BSP MPs also raised the issue of law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh while the Samajwadi Party- the ruling party in the state- took up the issue of cap on subsidised LPG cylinders.
The SP members demanded that the limit of subsidised LPG cylinders be increased.
Adding to the chaos, Trinamool Congress Members also stormed into the Well opposing FDI in retail sector.
Papers and reports of different departments were laid in the Upper House amid ruckus.
The disruption forced Deputy Chairman P J Kurien to adjourn the House till tomorrow.
Earlier the House was ajourned till 1200 hrs on SC/ST promotion quota issue.
With memories of near washout of the Monsoon Session of Parliament coming back to haunt him, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today sought cooperation from all Members of Parliament to enable the House run smoothly, saying the country was faced with many problems on the economic front and Parliament had a “very heavy” Legislative agenda.
“I seek cooperation from my colleagues in the House to come together and address the issues and challenges that we face as a nation,” the Prime Minister told reporters outside Parliament before beginning of the Winter Session.
While the Monsoon Session was a near washout on the issue of FDI in multi-brand retail, the Winter Session in 2011 was a total washout on the issue of JPC in the 2G Spectrum scam.
“We all have an obligation, in opposition as well as in Government, to work together to enable our parliamentary democracy, of which we are genuinely proud to grapple with the formidable challenges facing our country,” he said.
Pointing out that the country faced many problems on the economic front arising out of the consequences of global economic slowdown, Dr Singh stressed the need to create new jobs on a large enough scale to provide gainful employment to the youth.
The Prime Minister said the Government was ready to discuss all issues on the floor of both the Houses.
He also emphasised the need to increase investments in infrastructure sectors and social services like health and education to accelerate the tempo of economic growth.
The Government was committed to these tasks but the success required cohesive collective action on the part of all segments of the polity, Dr Singh said.
He urged all political parties to join hands in this vital national endeavour. (Agencies)
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