Stating that the UPA was fully united, the Parliamentary affairs minister said all UPA constituents have said that they are firmly behind the government in any discussion or debate in Parliament.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath will be meeting leaders of opposition, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, here on Wednesday in an endeavor to break the logjam in Parliament over the FDI issue. Kamal Nath on Tuesday said the allies of the ruling UPA Government are united in wanting discussion on FDI in multi-brand retail.
He said 'the UPA is fully united and all constituents of the UPA have said that they are firmly behind the government in any discussion or debate in Parliament'
"On Tuesday in the meeting this matter was discussed and the larger numbers were in favour of a discussion to be decided by the Speaker. So, I will hold consultations with the Speaker, convey this sense of yesterday's meeting and let the Speaker take an appropriate decision," Nath told mediapersons after the UPA Coordination Committee here.
"The sense of the house on Tuesday was to have a discussion, they did not insist on voting. There were some members who said let us leave to the Speaker. So, I will be consulting. This is going to be the Speaker's decision. It cannot be a government discussion," he added.
Kamal Nath's scheduled meeting with the leaders of opposition comes a day after M Karunanidhi-led DMK decided to support the UPA Government on the issue of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail.
The DMK, which is a crucial ally of the ruling UPA Government with 18 Lok Sabha MPs, on Tuesday announced that it would support the Centre on the FDI in retail sector.
In a statement issued in Chennai, DMK supremo Karunanidhi said despite differences on the issue of FDI in retail sector, the party has decided to back the UPA Government to save it from being dislodged.
Karunanidhi said the decision had been taken after considering the government's assurance that FDI in retail sector will not be forced on states, following which there is no danger to small traders and farmers in Tamil Nadu.
The DMK chief further said if there is voting in Parliament under rule 184, there is a possible threat to the UPA Government and this could benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This move of Karunanidhi has come as a major breakthrough for the ruling Congress at the Centre.
Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP), Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Trinamool Congress have earlier said they will not insist on voting on the debate on the issue surrounding FDI in retail
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left Parties are, however, still adamant on discussion with voting provisions.
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