UPA govt to face coordinated Opposition assault

In a twin attack on the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in the winter session of Parliament to begin tomorrow, the Left parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are bringing an adjournment motion each against the government. And, have already agreed to support each other’s motion.

However, the government is in no danger, as the combined opposition has the support of only 208 members of the Lok Sabha. They need at least 272 to bring the government down.

The Left parties’ motion is on the rise in prices and the state of the economy. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s is on unaccounted money in bank accounts abroad. Senior leaders of the NDA said they were in touch with their Left counterparts on the issues and the strategy. And, that the issues by both sides were selected after discussion with each other. A Congress party leader said the party had been mulling counter-strategy. The adjournment motions, he said, would not be accepted.

BJP leader S S Ahluwalia said the two opposition parties were also together on the issue of allowing any foreign direct investment in the retail sector, suicides of farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, and the recent controversy on the Planning Commission’s poverty norms. Ahluwalia said the AIADMK would be supporting the NDA. In another move to embarrass the government, he said the NDA had decided to “boycott” home minister P Chidambaram for his alleged involvement in the 2G telecom spectrum allocation scam.

“We would not allow him to speak in Parliament till the time the Union government doesn’t take action against him,” Ahluwalia declared.

As for the Congress-led UPA, enmeshed in a series of scams with allegations of paralysis of governance, it is keen to project a picture of an effective government, with the ability to steer crucial financial and general legislation. Also, with Assembly elections due in five states, they would like to ensure populist measures like a Food Security Act are in place. Passage of the Lok Pal Bill is also high on its priorities, in the wake of the Anna Hazare-led stir, to show it is responding to the popular mood on action against graft. The committee scrutinising the proposed Bill is due to give its report very soon.

The declaration by the opposition on their adjournment motions had Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari appealing instead for opposition help to cooperate in smooth functioning of the legislature. “Let’s have our differences but allow Parliament to function,” he said, recalling that last year’s winter session had been “wiped out” due to a political deadlock.

In the previous, monsoon session, only 10 Bills were passed.

The earlier Budget session had seen only five being cleared.