Speaker to Decide on FDI Debate: Kamal Nath

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha speaker will take a call on whether or not to allow a debate and a vote on FDI in retail as demanded by the opposition BJP and the CPI-M, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said.

Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) have said they will move separate resolutions on the issue in the winter session starting Nov 22 in order to corner the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

"The speaker (Meira Kumar) will decide on the issue in the business advisory committee meeting with other parties on the issues to be taken up," Nath told reporters.

Stating that there was no precedent of a policy framework being challenged in parliament, he said an earlier debate on disinvestment of public sector Balco during the NDA rule was one particular issue.

"There is no precedent of a policy framework being challenged in the Lok Sabha," said Nath.

Defending the move on the foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail, he said the states were free whether or not to allow any proposal.

"FDI is not being imposed," he said, adding "the government will discuss the issue with the other parties."