FDI in retail rules all-party meeting

The Parliamentary motion over foreign direct investments (FDI) in multi-brand retailing continues to be a major bone of contention between the government and the Opposition parties, even as the Speaker called an all-party meeting on Wednesday ahead of the winter session.

While the principal Opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has made it a precondition for the smooth functioning of Parliament, the government continues to maintain it would consult its allies on the issue.

The Trinamoool Congress was the only party which raised the issue of bringing a no-confidence motion but other political party gave a cold response to the idea.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has, meanwhile, stepped up efforts for the smooth functioning of the House and has invited the BJP brass for dinner tomorrow.

The PM had earlier invited senior L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and her Rajya Sabha counterpart Arun Jaitley, for dinner on November 17 but this was cancelled in the wake of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray’s death.

Speaking to reporters after the all-party meeting, Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said, “We want the House to run, we wish to cooperate in running the House, there are several issues waiting to be discussed. But our pre-condition is the issue on which an assurance was given to the House be taken up first under a rule that entails voting.”

Swaraj added the assurances given by the then finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, on December 7 last year, to take all stakeholders, including political parties and state government, on board before allowing FDI in retailing was openly violated by the government.

“It is important for political parties to express their views on FDI in retail in Parliament and this can be done only through voting,” said Swaraj.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath, however, contradicted Swaraj and said, “I don’t think there was any assurances. We will go into the records to check what Pranab Mukherjee said.” Stating that he would reach out to parties to arrive at a consensus on running the Parliament smoothly, Nath said it required a give and take approach from both sides.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar later said, “All parties assured me they will cooperate in running the House smoothly.”

It was CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta, who gave an indication that the first few days of the session could be stormy.

“It appears that Parliament may not function smoothly for a few days, as the government does not appear to be ready for a debate and vote on the FDI issue,” he said.

Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav, the NDA convenor, said most Opposition parties wanted Parliament to run without disruptions but highlighted a debate and vote on the contenious issue was essential. He urged the government not to stick to its decision on FDI.

The Parliamentary Affairs minister appreciated the sentiment that the Opposition wanted parliament to function properly.