Terming the UPA government’s victory in Parliament on the issue of FDI in multi-brand retail as “fake and manipulated”, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday cautioned that the real battle would begin now, saying it would take the issue to the people.
“The UPA may have secured a technical victory, for now. But it is dubious and also a moral defeat for it, as it proved beyond doubt that the government has been reduced to a minority since its strength could not even touch the Lok Sabha’s halfway mark despite all backroom manipulations and using of various institutions,” the BJP former president M. Venkaiah Naidu told a press conference here.
Pointing out that the UPA government managed to secure only 253 votes, much below the halfway mark of 272 in the Lok Sabha, mainly due to the support of Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party which staged a walkout during voting, Mr. Naidu said the BJP would also expose the double standards of these parties during their campaign to be launched soon after the conclusion of the Parliament session.
Pointing out that these parties had also supported the nationwide bandh against FDI earlier, he said they owed an explanation to people for their U-turn.
Alleging that several parties, including the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, had either directly or indirectly supported FDI, in the Lok Sabha though they were bitterly criticising it outside, he accused them of failing to match their words with deeds.
In fact, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself opposed FDI when he was leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP leader pointed out.
Mr. Naidu termed the UPA dispensation as a “lame-duck” government that could survive crucial tests only through abstentions and walkouts by some “vulnerable” parties.
He also ridiculed the claims of some parties which said they supported the UPA on FDI on ideological grounds to keep the BJP at the bay. Terming this as bogus argument, Mr. Naidu said many such parties had worked with the BJP at some point or the other.
He said the Opposition’s move against FDI had succeeded in exposing the hollowness of the government, though the motion got defeated.
