Rollback FDI in retail to let parliament run: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party today said parliament will run smoothly from Tuesday if the government rolls back the decision to allow 51 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday said parliament will run smoothly from Tuesday if the government rolls back the decision to allow 51 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail.

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Concerned over opposition to the move, coming not only from BJP and Left parties but also from United Progressive Alliance (UPA) allies like Trinamool Congress and DMK, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has convened an all party meeting Tuesday to end the logjam.

"If the government announces a rollback of the decision by Monday night or even in the all party meeting Tuesday, parliament will run smoothly," leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj told reporters.

Citing the case of Trinamool and DMK, she said: "It is the Congress which does not want parliament to run."

Sushma Swaraj said besides BJP, parties like Janata Dal-United (JD-U), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and AIADMK had Monday given notices for an adjournment motion for a debate on the FDI issue.

Downplaying the initial response of BJP's ally in Punjab Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which has welcomed the FDI decision, she said: "The SAD agreed to our adjournment motion Monday."

She said the parties had to bring the adjournment motion as the government approved 51 percent FDI in multi-brand retail without holding a debate on the issue. The BJP also gave an adjournment motion on a debate on the black money issue.

She also dismissed the government's argument that two adjournment motions cannot be accepted in a session, saying rules permitted such a move.

Stating that parliament had the authority to comment on government policies and express its views through a voting system, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said: "The government's reluctance to allow a debate under rules which entail voting is actually leading to house disruptions."