"Yes, we are confident of numbers," the Prime Minister told reporters after an hour-long meeting leaders of UPA which presented a united picture.
He was commenting on stalemate in Parliament over FDI issue leading to adjournment of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for the fourth day in a row since the Winter Session began on November 22.
"The UPA is fully united on any decision of the Speaker and the Government...all constituents are firmly behind the Government," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said after the meeting.
Referring to yesterday's all-party meeting, he said, "Larger number were in favour of discussion to be decided by the Speaker."
Nath said this was discussed today and he will meet the Speaker to convey the sense of yesterday's meeting.
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who is also Leader of the Lok Sabha, said, "By Monday, everything would be decided and everything would be settled."
UPA met a day after the all-party meeting convened by the government to break the logjam. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Defence Minister A K Antony, RLD's Ajit Singh, DMK's T R Baalu, NCP's Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and Finanace Minister P Chidambaram were among those present.
The Government got a big relief as the DMK, which was so far ambivalent on the issue of voting on FDI, said it would stand by it with "bitterness" to keep communal forces away and not let the government fall.
Parliament stalled for fourth day
Meanwhile, earlier in the day Parliament failed to transact any business for the fourth day today despite government's efforts to break the logjam over FDI through an all-party meeting as the Left and the Right made a common cause by pressing for a debate under a rule that entails voting.
Both Houses witnessed the repeat of the scenes that have marred the Winter Session ever since it began on November 22.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day at noon after one adjournment during Question Hour, while the Lok Sabha witnessed two adjournments till 2 PM because of ruckus. The impasse continued notwithstanding efforts by the government to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament by convening an all-party meeting yesterday over whether the FDI decision should be put to vote.
The meeting had seen SP and BSP providing comfort to the government by not insisting on voting. Trinamool Congress, which had given a notice for no-confidence motion last week over FDI issue, sprang a surprise by not pressing for vote.
Lok Sabha today witnessed the Left and the AIADMK members carrying placards for discussion on FDI under Rule 184 which entails voting. While AIADMK members as also those of CPI stormed the Well, BJP members raised anti-FDI slogans.
UPA constituent DMK utilised the occasion to vociferously raise the issue of recent disclosures by a former CAG official in the 2G case to project itself in better light.
On the other hand, Trinamool Congress, the ally-turned-foe of UPA, sought to show the government as anti-poor.
Making a personal statement on his resignation, former Trinamool Congress minister Saugata Roy criticised the Congress-led coalition and said his party withdrew support to the government in the wake of hike in diesel prices, cap on LPG cylinders and the decision to allow 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail.
Roy made some anti-government remarks and was heard saying his statement was "severely edited and revised" but P C Chacko, who was in the Chair, ruled that only the original statement would go on record.
Earlier, soon after Speaker Meira Kumar made obituary references to former members, DMK members were on their feet waving copies of newspaper reports on 2G spectrum allocation, which had led to resignation of their colleague A Raja as Telecom Minister.
Trinamool members rushed to the Well with banners seeking increase in the number of subsidised cylinders from six per year to 24.
Members of Left parties, arch rivals of Trinamool, were in the aisle demanding discussion on FDI under Rule 184.
BJP members were on their feet chanting slogans 'FDI Vapas Lo' (roll back the decision of FDI in retail) and demanded a discussion on the issue under Rule 184.
The Speaker tried in vain to appeal to protesting members saying the first question listed was on 'Crime Against Women'.
Rajya Sabha plunged into chaos soon after it assembled for the day with senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu raising the issue of FDI. He was joined by other party colleagues.
Some DMK members were seen in the aisle with newspaper clippings related to the 2G issue.
As Chairman Hamid Ansari's repeated pleas for normalcy went unheeded, he adjourned the House till noon barely minutes after it met.
When the Upper House re-assembled, slogan shouting SP members trooped into the Well opposing any reservation for SCs/STs in government job promotions as demanded by BSP.
As they kept chanting "promotion mein arakshan, nahi chalega, nahi chalega" (no reservation in promotion), some members from the treasury bench, led by Praveen Rashtrapal (Cong), came to the aisle countering them.
Members of UPA ally DMK also rushed to the aisle with newspaper clippings on the issue of recent disclosures by a former CAG official in 2G case. The din lead to adjournment of the House for the day.
When the Lok Sabha re-assembled at 2 PM, similar scenes were witnessed.
Trinamool Congress and the Left members trooped into the Well shouting slogans against FDI in multi-brand retail and demanded discussion on the issue under Rule 184.
TMC members displayed placards demanding 24 subsidised LPG cylinders for each household in a year.
Deputy Speaker Kariya Munda, who was in the Chair, adjourned the House till Thursday, tomorrow being a holiday on account of Guru Nanak's birthday.