Left working with opposition parties on cut motions

The Left parties are mulling various options to move cut motions and an amendment to the Finance Bill in consultation with other opposition parties to seek a roll back in the hike in prices of petrol, diesel and fertilisers.

“We are working this out. We will bring one or more cut motions on specific Demands for Grants to oppose the hike in duties on petrol and diesel and the rise in prices of fertilisers,” CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters.

Both Mr. Yechury and CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta indicated that several opposition parties were being spoken to in a bid to coordinate the tabling and voting on these motions.

Besides cut motion, Mr. Yechury said an amendment would be moved to the Finance Bill to annul the notification issued by the government hiking the prices of petrol, diesel and fertiliser.

“The cut motion, if adopted, will have no impact if this notification is not annulled,” the CPI(M) leader said, adding that “technicalities” were being worked out.

In a related development, Mr. Dasgupta has written a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar regarding procedures relating to cut motions.

In the letter, the CPI leader is understood to have quoted Article 113 of the Constitution, relating to the expenditures to be incurred by any Ministry in a financial year, and maintained that cut motions can be allowed for the Demands for Grants of any Ministry and not just those which are taken up for discussion in Parliament.

A cut motion is used by the opposition to disapprove a financial demand of any ministry. If the motion is adopted by a vote, the government of the day has to quit.

Guillotine will be applied to the Demands for Grants on April 27 and the Finance Bill would come up for discussion on April 28 and 29, amid plans to complete the budgetary exercise by April 30.