Regional parties key players

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Union minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah interacts with panchayat officials in Srinagar on Tuesday

The Congress and the BJP are heavily depending on the regional players in the number game during the Winter Session of Parliament beginning Thursday.
While the government managers on Tuesday claimed that the government is ready for a trial of strength, if required, and thus face a no-confidence motion if moved comfortably, the BJP-led NDA decided to bring a motion that entails voting against the decision on FDI in retail.
The Trinamul Congress wants the Manmohan Singh government to be defeated through a no-trust motion but the Samajwadi Party, the BSP, the Left, the DMK and the AIADMK are confining to their opposition to the FDI in retail.
If the government cannot pass its legislative business and reform-related bills without the support of the regional players, the BJP too cannot bring down the government without the backing of regional parties in the NDA and outside.
Political parties reluctance to face an early Lok Sabha polls could help the minority government to prolong its stay but can it deliver is a question.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath and home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, also the Leader of the Lok Sabha, said the government has numbers.
Taking a dig at the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamul Congress, Mr Kamal Nath said, “A former ally of 19 members threatening us does not mean it is a threat. It does not mean we are counting our numbers. We are confident of our numbers... We are not a government without numbers. As and when required we will establish it on the floor of the House.”
Mr Nath, who had convened a meeting of the chief whips of all political parties earlier in the day, said Trinamul leaders did mention that they planned to move a no-trust motion on the first day but “no other party made any comment on their support”.
Ridiculing the Trinamul Congress plans to move a no-trust motion in Lok Sabha, the government on Tuesday expressed confidence about its numbers, which it was ready to establish “as and when required”.
“For the first time in my 32 years in Parliament, I am seeing a party with 19 members moving a no-confidence motion,” Mr Nath said in a brief interaction with reporters ahead of Winter Session.