Despite Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ram Gopal Yadav sounding alarm bells, the UPA managers on Thursday felt they had an outside chance to sail through Rajya Sabha, by working out certain permutations and combinations with other regional parties of Uttar Pradesh.
The safest option for the government in Rajya Sabha, as a Congress floor manager pointed out, will be SP voting against the government on the FDI issue as that will ensure the support of the BSP, the other regional party from Uttar Pradesh. While the SP has nine members the BSP has 15 in the upper house. Also, if the SP abstains and the BSP votes for FDI, the government will manage to scrape through. To woo the BSP, the government has already listed the bill on reservation for SC/ST in promotion in government jobs in the Rajya Sabha. Sources from the BSP have also indicated they might support the government on FDI, if the SC/ST bill on promotion is passed. On the other hand, the SP has been vehemently opposing this bill.
‘We will vote against FDI in Rajya Sabha if the government brings it here,’ said SP general secretary Ramgopal Yadav.
The SP, however, like in previous occasions, is speaking with a forked tongue. On one hand Ram Gopal Yadav said they would oppose FDI in Rajya Sabha, party president Mulayam Singh Yadav gave an ambiguous statement by saying as far as FDI is concerned the party strongly opposes it.
In order to reach the half way mark in the 244 seat Rajya Sabha, the government has to touch the figure of 123. The UPA with the support of independents and nominated members has 101 in the upper house. The situation however, is comfortable for the government in the Lok Sabha, where UPA enjoys the support of about 265 MPs in a House of 545. With the support SP (22) and BSP (21), the number goes over 300.
The safest option for the government in Rajya Sabha, as a Congress floor manager pointed out, will be SP voting against the government on the FDI issue as that will ensure the support of the BSP, the other regional party from Uttar Pradesh. While the SP has nine members the BSP has 15 in the upper house. Also, if the SP abstains and the BSP votes for FDI, the government will manage to scrape through. To woo the BSP, the government has already listed the bill on reservation for SC/ST in promotion in government jobs in the Rajya Sabha. Sources from the BSP have also indicated they might support the government on FDI, if the SC/ST bill on promotion is passed. On the other hand, the SP has been vehemently opposing this bill.
‘We will vote against FDI in Rajya Sabha if the government brings it here,’ said SP general secretary Ramgopal Yadav.
The SP, however, like in previous occasions, is speaking with a forked tongue. On one hand Ram Gopal Yadav said they would oppose FDI in Rajya Sabha, party president Mulayam Singh Yadav gave an ambiguous statement by saying as far as FDI is concerned the party strongly opposes it.
In order to reach the half way mark in the 244 seat Rajya Sabha, the government has to touch the figure of 123. The UPA with the support of independents and nominated members has 101 in the upper house. The situation however, is comfortable for the government in the Lok Sabha, where UPA enjoys the support of about 265 MPs in a House of 545. With the support SP (22) and BSP (21), the number goes over 300.