In an hint that Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee may not be getting enough support in her bid to move a no-confidence motion against the UPA government, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav has said that the Winter session of Parliament would function smoothly.
Mr Yadav’s remark is significant for the fact that the Monsoon session of the Parliament was washed out following the BJP protest.
Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Yadav said that the Winter session of the Parliament would function smoothly and there is no threat to the session meeting the same fate as was the case with the Monsoon session.
Mr Yadav’s optimism will surely be music to the ears of the UPA, as the government is lining up key legislation for the session, including the amendment bills to the insurance and pension bill along with the contentious land bill.
When asked about sharing the dais with Ms Banerjee at Jantar Mantar where the West Bengal chief minister had staged a protest against the hike in diesel price, cap in LPG cylinders and allowing FDI in multi-brand retail, Mr Yadav said that there was nothing unusual, as he had been meeting leaders across the party lines.
While Ms Banerjee has been reiterating her opposition to the contentious decisions of the UPA government, her attempt to win support for no-confidence motion is said to be not eliciting warm response from other political parties. While the Samajwadi Party has gone silent in the recent times on the issues of FDI in multi-brand retail, the Left parties are also learnt to have decided not to support any no-confidence motion brought on the floor of the Lok Sabha by any party.
“If 19 MPs go out of the UPA another 19 come in. There is no threat per se to the UPA government. So, what is the point in supporting the no confidence motion to be brought in by the TMC,” said a senior JD(U) leader.