Ahead of the winter session of Parliament, the UPA government on Friday prioritised legislative business and put up a brave face to tackle any situation, including a no-confidence motion.
Maintaining that the government is ready to discuss any issue under any rule with the permission of the chair, the government said it is in talks with various political parties to seek their support on key Bills.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram said, “The Parliament session has a very heavy legislative agenda. We are reaching out to various political parties to carry through these agenda in the four weeks that we have for the session.” Chidambaram pointed out that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had met leaders of supporting parties and UPA allies and would be hosting a dinner for Opposition leaders on Saturday.
Addressing the GoM briefing, Chidambaram and Union Ministers Manish Tewari and Kapil Sibal sought to downplay the FDI in retail issue. Chidambaram said, “My suggestion is that not one issue should be blown out of proportion. There are many important issues that concern the welfare of the people and the future of the country.”
Pointing out that if States do not want to implement FDI in retail they are free not to do so, Sibal said that if some States want to implement FDI, other States should not object. The ministers also pooh-poohed talk of early polls.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hosted a dinner for UPA leaders where DMK is understood to have insisted that government avoid voting in Parliament on FDI in retail, making clear its reservation on the issue.
Sources said that during the dinner meeting, DMK, the second largest group in UPA with its 18 MPs in Lok Sabha, has asked the government to avoid voting in Parliament on the crucial FDI issue.