Hyderabad: The Communist Party of India
(Marxist) today apprehended that the ruling Congress may
indulge in "horse-trading" to save the UPA government from a
likely fall in view of the cut motion being brought on the
Finance Bill by Opposition parties.
"Such (horse-trading) a possibility cannot be ruled
out... If survival is put to question mark then it (Congress)
may indulge. We cannot predict what the political consequences
will be, but Congress-led UPA coalition should be prepared to
face the cut motion," CPI (M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury
told reporters here.
The CPI(M) Politburo has decided that it will move a cut
motion on the Finance Bill if the government does not take
back the hike in customs and excise duties on petrol, diesel
and fertilisers.
Yechury, who was in city to participate in a seminar
organised as part of B R Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations, said
that BSP, SP, RJD and JDS, who have extended support to the
UPA with 46 Lok Sabha members, may not support the government
if the cut motion is put to vote.
"If the cut motion will be put to vote all (four) the
parties are likely to vote against the government. BSP has
also said they are with us on the issue, but we don`t know
what will be their final decision on the matter," he said.
If all the four parties vote against the government
during the cut motion, UPA will be facing an embarrassing
position to win the vote. They will be left with 274 votes
which includes one vote of Speaker, Yechury said adding after
this they will have only one vote with majority.
"This is unprecedented in our country that in the very
first year the government (UPA) is calculating figures...
whether they have support or not. It is better for government
to roll back hike in prices of petroleum products to avoid
such an embarrassment," the senior CPI (M) leader said.
Yechury said the UPA government survived a vote of
confidence over the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement after
the SP supported the government and the deal.
"Last time it was SP. But under the present circumstances
... we don`t know to which party the Congress may tilt if such
a situation arises," he said.
As per the constitution if the government is defeated on
the cut motion it has to resign, Yechury asserted.
To a query over the Indian Premier League, he said IPL
was a pure commercial activity.
Crores of Indians have been put into extra economic
burden due to rise in prices of essential items and at that
time to see such a "vulgar" display of money that is really
speaking into the contrast between the shining and suffering
India, Yechury said.
"This (IPL funding matter) is something the government
will have to address," he added.
-PTI
