FDI vote: Govt confident, oppn adamant

While the Left parties and the BJP insist on discussions on the subject under rules that require voting, former UPA ally Trinamool Congress, which made a failed attempt at moving a no-confidence motion against the ruling coalition, said on Wednesday it would not vote in favour of the government.

Parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath, along with his deputy Rajiv Shukla, held a meeting with leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and her Rajya Sabha counterpart Arun Jaitley.

“Presiding officers can take any decision they want in the interest of running Parliament,” Nath said after the meeting. He said numbers were “not a worry” for the government.

Asked if the government was ready for voting on FDI as the opposition is firm on its stand, Nath said, “We are not averse to it.” “From day one I have said we have the numbers,” he said to a question that the government was ready for a vote only after key ally DMK came on board. Earlier, he also met the Lok Sabha Speaker and last evening the Rajya Sabha chairperson.

The meeting with the leaders of the opposition saw BJP insisting on a discussion under a rule that entails voting alleging that the government had committed gross neglect of Parliament by not adhering to its

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