CPI(M) may not support the no-confidence motion against the government being brought by Trinamool Congress, saying the ruling UPA-II coalition would take the defeat of the motion as an “endorsement” of all its “anti—people” policies, a top party leader said today.
“If the no-confidence motion is moved, we would want it to be carried. Otherwise, the government will take it as an endorsement of all its anti-people policies for the rest of its tenure. We don’t want to give such a certificate to the government,” CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury told PTI.
Noting that a no-confidence motion would “not be issue-specific”, he said the Left-sponsored motion entailing voting, to oppose FDI in multi—brand retail, would be “a much better strategy to defeat the government’s move.”
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He said many parties like Samajwadi Party, which had participated in the nation-wide strike in September to protest FDI in retail, would support such a motion and not a no-confidence vote. “(SP chief) Mulayam Singh Yadav had himself courted arrest during that protest.”
Mr Yechury said CPI(M) and other Left parties would decide their stand on the basis of the “real situation in Parliament ... whether they (Trinamool) are able to muster a majority (on no—confidence). Otherwise, it will be helping the government and providing an escape route to it.
“The track record of Trinamool Congress shows that they say one thing but do something else. So, we will have to wait and see,” he said.
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In a similar vein, CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said earlier that Left parties would “neither protect the government in case of a voting, nor take the responsibility to garner support for admission of (no—confidence) motion. We are planning to bring an adjournment motion.”
Last week, CPI, CPI(M), RSP and Forward Bloc had jointly decided to move motions under voting rules in both Houses of Parliament to reject the government’s decision on the matter.
Rule 184 of Lok Sabha’s Rules of Business and Rule 167 in Rajya Sabha entail voting after discussion on a matter.
In the 543-member Lok Sabha, CPI(M) has 16 MPs, CPI 4 and RSP and FB two each. In Rajya Sabha, which has a strength of 250 members, CPI (M) has 11 MPs, CPI 2 and FB one.