New Delhi, Nov 28: Left parties, demanding rollback of the move to allow FDI in retail, today accused the government of deliberately taking a decision to “derail” debates in Parliament on major issues like price rise, corruption and Lokpal.
“There is no point in having a debate on FDI in retail when a decision has already been taken. So, the government should rescind the decision and then hold a discussion on it.
“If it does not, then it is clear that the government does not want Parliament to function when there are important issues like price rise, corruption and the Lokpal Bill to be debated,” senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters at a joint press conference with his counterparts from CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc.
Maintaining that an executive decision on a “major policy matter” like FDI in the retail sector has never been taken in the past when Parliament was in session, he said, “They have not only bypassed Parliament, but it is a big provocation to make Parliament impotent.”
Yechury said the onus of disrupting the session lies squarely on the government. “We hold the government responsible for this. When they have to take the sense of the House, they are pushing out big advertisements in newspapers justifying the (FDI) move.”
Asked why they were not moving a no-confidence motion against the government, he said, “We will take a decision when such a situation arises. Our demand now is that the government rescind its decision. If it does not, then we will see what to do.”
