The government is set to go full steam ahead with the reforms process after it secured a 21-vote victory in the Rajya Sabha on the issue of FDI in mutli-brand retail on Friday. The Opposition-backed motion against FDI in multi-brand retail got 102 votes, while the government got the votes of 123 of the total 225 MPs present in the Upper House; 19 MPs, including nine of the SP, did not vote. The total strength of the Rajya Sabha is 244.
Yet again the combination of Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav came to the rescue of the government in the Upper House.
On December 6, following walkouts by the Bahujan Samaj Party, led by Ms Mayawati, and the Samajwadi Party, led by Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, the government won the vote on FDI in retail in the Lok Sabha.
While the Samajwadi Party, with nine Rajya Sabha MPs, walked out, the BSP, with 15 MPs, voted with the government.
On Thursday, during the debate on the motion in the Rajya Sabha, Ms Mayawati had declared her intention to vote with the government.
However, after the initial round of voting, there was some confusion.
Minister of state for parliamentary affairs Rajiv Shukla sought a re-calculation of votes as he felt that the 109 votes displayed as “ayes” for the motion appeared to be on the higher side.
The initial figure showed 123 members voting against the motion and 109 voting in its favour.
The final results were declared late Friday evening.
The Opposition, led by the BJP, held Ms Mayawati and Mr Mulayam Singh responsible for the government’s victory.
BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member M. Venkaiah Naidu took a dig at the outfits, saying, “Din mein kushti, raat mein dosti (They fight with the government in the day, then join hands at night).”
For his part, Union parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath said the “victory in Parliament means defeat of the BJP’s brand of politics.