Will isolate govt on FDI, says CPM

The CPM on Sunday decided to reach out to parties in the opposition to bring a resolution in Parliament which ends in voting against the UPA government's decision to allow foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail. Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has already announced its plan to bring a no-confidence motion in the Winter Session.

The CPM, sources said, was in a bind as it was not in favour of destabilising the UPA government since it is wary of early elections. Having opposed FDI in retail tooth and nail, it also cannot let Banerjee walk away with the issue. A top CPM leader said the party feels a resolution which entails voting was the "best option" given the situation as an "overwhelming majority of the parties are against FDI in retail". The attempt, sources said, was to corner the government and not to bring it down.

"In the next session of Parliament, we will try to put the government in the dock for its policies," CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said.

Sources in the party said its assessment was that a no-confidence motion would fall through as the government will mange the numbers with the help of SP and the BSP and utilise the win to claim that it has the mandate of Parliament to push through economic reform measures. On the other hand, it feels parties like the SP and UPA allies like the DMK would have no problem backing a resolution.

The CPM central committee — which met here over the weekend — discussed the issue at length and decided to make FDI in retail the centerpiece of its campaign against the UPA in the coming days to wrest back the issue from Mamata, who, the CPM claims, is trying to be more "Leftist than the Leftists" and hijacking its issues.

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