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Posted on 28 November 2011 |
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Demand for rollback of FDI decision in retail paralyses Parliament
Opposition parties hold up proceedings over FDI uproar for fifth consecutive day in Parliament
Iftikhar Gilani
New Delhi
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Retail revolution |
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As Parliament remained in a limbo on Monday as well, the Centre hinted at calling an all-party meet to resolve issues with the Opposition and its own allies. The second week of the winter session began with the Opposition and Treasury allies protesting against the United Progressive Alliance's (UPA) move of throwing open multi-billion retail trade to foreign investments.
In order to bring the situation under control, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday held consultations with Congress President Sonia Gandhi to resolve the deadlock, which is hampering the passage and introduction of scores of legislations that are aimed at fiscal reforms.
However, the din of Opposition continued as members refused to give up previous week's issues causing the logjam day after day, which included demand for Telangana by Congress and TRS members, Kerala members raising the Mullaperiyar dam and Biju Janata Dal members seeking more Central money for Odisha even as a couple of Congress members protested fiercely along with Trinamool Congress and the DMK, forcing adjournment of the question hour and then the business of the House for the entire day.
The mood in Parliament seems to put pressure on the Government to withdraw or suspend for the time being, at least, its decision on the retail trade FDI (foreign direct investment). It turns out to be embarrassing for the Government as even its coalition partners— Trinamool Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party and BSP are up in arms against the move.
The Centre, however, is busy with back channel efforts to explain the FDI decision taken by the Union Cabinet Thursday night, amid plans of convening an all-party meeting on Tuesday to consider how to end the Parliament logjam.
BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani sat with a drawn face, not knowing when he will be able to play the "zunzuna" (child's sound-making instrument) of the adjournment motion on the black money issue permitted by the Lok Sabha Speaker last week. Similarly, the Left's 'call-attention' motion remained listed on the agenda for the fourth consecutive day.
Knowing well the immediacy of the retail trade FDI, Advani told his party colleagues that the black money issue on which he went on a nationwide "yatra" for over a month could wait even as notices of adjournment were given in both the Houses by the BJP and other members. Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley was among those, besides BSP and Samajwadi Party members, giving notices under Rule 167 for adjournment to discuss the issue of FDI in retail trade.
Deputy Speaker Kariya Munda, who later adjourned the Lok Sabha for the day, announced that the adjournment notices on FDI would be considered "in due course”. Anguished Opposition members later said the adjournment notice was intended to stop all business and immediately take up the issue and it was meaningless to consider a burning question in "due course".
The Rajya Sabha saw the rival BSP and Samajwadi Party, JD-U and AIADMK taking the lead in raising slogans against the UPA’s FDI policy. Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the House amid members chanting "FDI vapas lo (withdraw FDI)."
Although the UPA was upset over no business being transacted for the fifth consecutive day, the Congress MPs seemed rather happy, as Parliament's adjournment gave them the opportunity to rush to Rahul Gandhi's two-day mega show, Buniyaad, which is being attended by 8,000-odd elected Youth Congress office-bearers at a park in Rohini on the outskirts of Delhi.
The only time when the Lok Sabha heard no slogans and saw no banners was at the start of the day's proceedings when the Speaker paid homage to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack on its third anniversary and requested a minute's silence.
Iftikhar Gilani is a Special Correspondent with Tehelka.com.
iftikhar@tehelka.com
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