PM Meets Allies, FDI Impasse Continues


New Delhi, Dec 1 (IANS): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday met the government's allies to discuss the issue of foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail, as parliament was stalled yet again on the issue.

In a tight spot over the FDI decision as key allies, including DMK, Trinamool Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) have spoken against it, he met partners in the Congress-led ruling United Progressive Alliance to try to iron out differences.

The meeting, held at the prime minister's residence, was attended by Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference (NC), Sudeep Bandyopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress, T.R. Baalu of the DMK and E. Ahamed of the IUML, as also Commerce Minister Anand Sharma of the Congress.

While sources say the Trinamool Congress is to abstain from voting if a motion on FDI in retail comes in parliament, the DMK is still keeping its cards close to its chest.

Talking to reporters outside parliament later, Trinamool Congress leader and Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi told reporters his party continues to be against FDI.

"We want what is good for the country, we talk about 'aam admi' (common man). It is just that what is good for India may not be good for other parts of the world, and what may be good for other parts may not be good for India," he said.

Opposition parties, meanwhile, stuck to their guns against FDI in retail. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made it clear it would not compromise on the text of the adjournment motion, the Left said the government was not serious about running parliament.

"We will not compromise on the text of the adjournment motion at all," BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters outside parliament.

Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury said the government was not interested in correcting its mistake.

"They took a decision in the cabinet when parliament was in session, that is against the propriety of parliament. Once having done that, they came, took our opinion, they said they will come back, as far as we are concerned they did not come to us. It shows the government is not serious," Yechury said.

  

Top Stories

Comment on this article

  • Satish Chandra, Toronto

    Fri, Dec 02 2011

    In a letter which appeared in Boston Globe two decades ago in response to an editorial about the rising incidence of dowry deaths in India, I wrote that the editorial correctly notes that they are increasing in number and usually involve demands for Western-style consumer goods cars, VCRs, etc. but that this rise in dowry deaths is due to contact with the West. I said: 'It was to ward off evils such as consumerism that as recently as the turn of the century travel by Indians to foreign lands was considered polluting and was forbidden. Both the young Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were required to do penance and undergo purification before being allowed back into society on their return from England, though only Gandhi complied. While Gandhi led a mass movement to shun Western goods, which he ritually burned in bonfires, the more modern Nehru pushed India toward Western-style industrialism and materialism.' I continued 'In India's dowry deaths the in-laws become involved because of the family system but my guess is that, overall, violence against women, against society exists at considerably higher levels in the modern West. The flames that burn India's brides are the same that burned Kuwaiti oil wells and Iraqi children and they originate in the West.' For more see 'How India's Economy Can Grow 30% Per Year Or More' in my blog titled 'Nuclear Supremacy For India Over U. S.' that can be found by a Yahoo/Google search with the title. Satish Chandra

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse


Leave a Comment

Title: PM Meets Allies, FDI Impasse Continues



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.