Ready to face trust vote, says govt

The government on Friday said it was ready to face any situation, including a no-confidence motion, in the coming session of Parliament but added it would reach out to stakeholders, including main Opposition, and seek their support in the passage of legislative Bills.

"The Parliament session has a very heavy legislative agenda. We are reaching out to the various political parties to carry through these agenda in the four weeks that we have for the session," Finance Minister P Chidambaram said here on Friday. At a press conference along with Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal and I&B Minister Manish Tewari, Chidambaram said the government is ready to discuss any issue under any rule with the permission of the Chair in the winter session that begins on November 22. He noted that the Prime Minister had met leaders of supporting parties and was hosting a dinner for UPA allies. "We sincerely hope that the forthcoming session will be a productive one and many Bills will be passed," he said.

The Opposition is gearing up to put the government on the mat on the issue of FDI in multi-brand retail particularly, on which members from the Trinamool Congress as well as the Left parties have given notices for a discussion under motions that entail voting.

The government, though, ruled out the possibility of mid-term polls. "The government will last its full term of five years," Tewari said. His assertion came against the backdrop of Samajwadi Party releasing its first list of candidates for Lok Sabha polls. When told that the Opposition is preparing to target the government over FDI in multi-brand retail, Tewari said, "If they want to corner us, we have no objection. We are ready to discuss anything if the rules permit. But if Parliament is not allowed to function, it wouldn't be good for parliamentary democracy."

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