With no end in sight to the Parliament logjam on FDI in multi-brand retail, the UPA coordination committee is meeting on Tuesday to discuss whether to agree to a debate on the issue under a rule that entails voting.
On Monday, an all-party meeting ended in a deadlock with the Opposition firm on its demand for a debate with voting. The government had been appealing to the Opposition to reconsider its views.
The government however got a shot in the arm yesterday after its supporters, as well as erstwhile ally Trinamool Congress, making it clear that they would let the Lok Sabha Speaker rake a call on the debate rules.
The BJP, however, was adamant on its demand for a debate under voting rules.
After an over two-hour all-party meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said: “Many members said the House must run… I will appeal to the parties demanding a discussion under Rule 184 to reconsider their view, and I will discuss the sentiments expressed in the meeting with the presiding officers of the two Houses.”
Rule 184 entails voting on an issue after a debate.
Indications of how the allies were grouping around the government came in the morning when Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and indicated that his party was for the presiding officer deciding the debate rules.
Later, SP leader Reoti Raman Singh said: “We want a debate on FDI, but the Speaker should decide the rules under which it should be held.”
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati too has said she is for debate minus the voting. “We want the House to run, we want a debate on FDI but leave it to the presiding officer on what rule it should be debated under,” she said.
In a surprise stand, two days after it moved an unsuccessful no-confidence motion against the government on the issue, the Trinamool Congress said the Speaker should decide how to run the House.
Trinamool leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay told reporters that his party wanted a debate but left the voting decision on the Speaker.
The party had walked out of the government in September over the issue.
Striking a tough note, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said there would be no compromise on their demand for vote.
“We are not ready to compromise. Nothing short of 184,” she said, emerging from the meeting.
The UPA has also got around ally DMK which had expressed some reservations on the FDI in retail.
The UPA has maintained it is for a thorough debate on the issue of allowing foreign investment in multi-brand retail that was given the go ahead in September. It was one of the big ticket economic reforms of the government that was accused of policy paralysis. However, Opposition parties, including the Left, maintain FDI in retail will harm the small shopkeepers.
Parliament was stalled on Monday on the issue for the third consecutive day of the Winter Session that began on Thursday.
–IANS