With the all-party meeting on retail FDI scheduled for Wednesday morning, all eyes are fixed on its outcome as this will determine the fate of the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament. Two weeks have already been lost due to the
stalemate over the government’s decision to allow 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail.
Taking no chances, however, a cautious governm-ent has got the Appropri-ation Bill listed in the ord-er of business to be taken up by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Sources said if the all-party meeting fails to break the logjam on Wednesday, with the BJP and the Left insistent on a complete rollback of FDI in retail, not simply a freeze, the government would like to complete its financial business as quickly as possible.
Parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said, however, that “we hope Parliament will run smoothly from tomorrow after the all-party meeting”. He also suggested that there were “no irritants” after the government put its FDI decision on hold.
Both the BJP and the Left said Tuesday that the question of Parliament’s functioning depended on the government’s stand on the issue, which is likely to be articulated at the all-party meeting.