Zeenews Bureau
Kolkata: With little support for her no-confidence motion ‘cause’ so far, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that she was even ready to support a Left-sponsored no-confidence motion against the UPA government on the issue of FDI in retail.
It may be noted that Banerjee’s TMC, which has 19 MPs in Lok Sabha, had quit the UPA government in protest against its decision to go ahead with 51% FDI in multi-brand retail.
"I am ready to talk to any party on a no-confidence motion. If the Left brings no-confidence motion, Trinamool is ready to support it," Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, told reporters here today.
"If necessary, I am even prepared to go to CPI(M) state party headquarters at Alimuddin Street here and talk to its secretary Biman Bose on the issue," Banerjee said at the state secretariat.
"My appeal to the CPI(M) is not to do anything to bail out this minority government which is steeped in corruption and which has taken many anti-people decisions," she said.
She further said, "If they have reservation about our party sponsoring the motion, let the CPI(M) bring it, we will support, provided there is assurance that they will not withdraw it midway striking a deal with Congress. If the issue is same, there is no objection to support their motion".
Banerjee had earlier even called up CPI’s Gurudas Dasgupta to seek support for the motion.
The CPI(M), meanwhile, has said that it will not support to the TMC-moved no-confidence motion.
CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat said Mamata Banerjee’s no-confidence motion against the UPA will not be useful at this stage as the government has the numbers. He added that his party was trying to isolate the ruling alliance on the FDI in retail issue.
The Trinamool, the CPI(M)’s rival in West Bengal, has said it will move a no-confidence motion against the Manmohan Singh government during Parliament’s Winter Session starting on November 22.
“There is general consensus among the opposition parties that a no-confidence motion against the UPA will not be useful at this stage as the government has the numbers,” Karat said yesterday.
“We want a debate with voting on the government’s move to bring foreign equity in multi-brand retail trade to corner the government.”
He denied that the Left parties were divided on the issue.
Meanwhile, realising that the numbers are stacked in favour of the government, the BJP too appeared not inclined towards supporting the no-confidence motion that TMC has threatened to move against the UPA.
The main opposition party is, however, gearing up to corner the government on the FDI issue by seeking a vote on it.
To a question on BJP vis-a-vis the proposed no-trust motion of her party, Banerjeer today said, "Let them decide. They have to take a stand."
BJP Parliamentary Party Executive Committee today held a meeting in the capital to discuss the strategy for the forthcoming Winter Session. TMC's no-confidence motion and FDI in multi- brand retail, as well as issues related to coal allocation and other matters, were discussed.
But the party leaders were tight-lipped about their future course of action as a common strategy is yet to be finalised with the other NDA partners in a meeting later this evening.
Party sources said BJP is watching the developments but with not enough numbers to over-throw the UPA government, it may not support TMC's no-confidence motion.
However, on the issue of FDI in multi-brand retail, BJP may have floor coordination with the Left as well as like-minded parties to press for a discussion under Rule 184, which entails voting, in Lok Sabha.
(With Agency inputs)
First Published: Tuesday, November 20, 2012, 14:38