New Delhi: After the Left, the BJP today
stepped up pressure on the government on its economic policies
declaring it will bring cut-motion on the Union Budget that
may put to test UPA coalition in the Lok Sabha.
Addressing a press conference, Leader of the Opposition in
the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj spoke of floor coordination among
opposition during the first phase and referred to the
unprecedented walkout by it during the budget presentation in
protest against inflationary policies.
"BJP will bring our own cut-motion. Various opposition
parties are also giving their own cut motions(on the Demand
for Grants)," she said.
The new found unity in the Opposition at the time of
presentation of Budget was broken when Government brought in
the Women's Reservation Bill on which major oppostion parties
BJP and Left backed the government.
The passage of the Budget in the second half of the
Budget session of Parliament next month will also show whether
the Opposition will be united against the government.
In the reply to general discussion on Budget, Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee had ruled out rollback of hike in
prices of petroleum products, a demand which was also voiced
by UPA's major constituents Trinamool Congress and DMK.
The entire opposition had walked out at the time of the
Budget presentation in protest against these proposals.
The government could be in trouble if the entire
opposition including Samajwadi party, BSP and RJD, who now
back it from outside, come together and back the cut motions.
Swaraj asserted that BJP had effectively cornered the
government on price rise in Parliament.
"The government wanted that we discuss price rise as part
of the Motion of Thanks to President's Address or the debate
on the general budget but we wanted a focussed discussion on
the issue," she said, adding that Lok Sabha was adjourned on
two days due to opposition's protest.
Swaraj insisted that BJP acted responsibly by not forcing
an adjournment in Lok Sabha on price rise when the Railway
Budget was being presented.
Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, Leader of Opposition in the
Upper House, who was present attributed good
floor-coordination as the reason for the the opposition's good
performance and said the floor management of the government
was poor.
-PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 00:08