Government to Discuss FDI Under Any Rule


New Delhi:  Faced with parliament's paralysis, the UPA government said it was ready to discuss the issue of FDI in retail in parliament under any rule.

The final decision has been left to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath told the media.

"The government is not averse to discussion under any rule. We are not concerned about voting," he said after emerging from an United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coordination meeting.

The meeting was called to evolve a possible consensus on the government decision to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail, a thorny issue that has stalled parliament for four days.

"...Majority favoured debate under any rule. I will apprise (the) speaker. Let her decide," Kamal Nath said.

The BJP and the Left want a discussion on the issue with voting to prove that the government does not have majority support in the house.

In a move to outsmart the BJP, Congress strategists have been wooing other political parties to vote for the decision.

Source: IANS