NDA, Left for voting on FDI in Parliament

The BJP-led NDA and the Left on Thursday joined hands in asserting that the UPA Government will have to agree to a vote on FDI in retail issue in both the Houses, if it is serious about running the winter session of Parliament.

NDA convener and JD (U) president Sharad Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and CPM leader Sitaram Yechury came together on a platform of a traders’ body here and resolved not to let Parliament function unless the government agrees to their demand.

“On this particular issue, we are one. The ideological divide has not stopped us from coming together on one platform,” said Yechury. Although none from the CPI was present, he said the Left was united on the issue.

“This government doesn’t want a voting in Parliament under Rule 184 on FDI in retail issue. However, during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led Government, the Congress was in the forefront of demanding a vote under Rule 184 on the Balco issue. How can they expect us to compromise this time round,” said Sharad Yadav, indicating that the PM’s dinner diplomacy for BJP leaders and an all-party meeting planned for Monday may not blunt the NDA attack on the FDI.

“This UPA Government is not serious about running the session. The way they are conducting themselves, they would like us to believe that voting (as per Rule 184) is alien to parliamentary democracy. This government may argue that the Opposition is disrupting the proceedings, but we will make sure that each and every political party, including the loyal opposition, makes their stand clear on this particular issue,” Jaitley said.

While Sharad has been assiduously trying to bring the likes of the SP, the BSP and the DMK to their side, the going so far, admittedly, has not been smooth.

“Parties like the SP, the BSP, the DMK, the AIDMK and the TMC had supported the Bharat Bandh on FDI issue. We appeal to them to support our demand this time round as well,” said Sharad. Jaitley admitted that the results in wooing non-NDA, non-Left parties have been far from encouraging. 

“There are certain parties that bail out the government on crucial issues like these in the last minute. Through this vote in Parliament, we also want to expose these parties -- every party must make public their stand on FDI issue,” Jaitley said.

The NDA leaders said that it’s only because the government “was not sure about the numbers in the two Houses of Parliament that it was trying to stonewall the Opposition demand for vote on FDI issue”.

They, however, asserted that no amount of persuasion would be enough for them to give up their demand.