BJP,CPM planned strategy before meeting with Pranab

Just before their breakfast meeting with Pranab Mukherjee,Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj got a call from CPMs Basudev Acharia. The two discussed the strategy to be adopted at the meeting. The exchange,which reflected the new-found Opposition unity,was yet another instance of the CPMs growing willingness to interact with the BJP.

Swaraj is understood to have told Acharia that the BJP would under no circumstances accept a discussion on price rise under Rule 193 and noted that the governments proposal to hold a debate which would culminate in adoption of a motion reflecting the sense of the House could be considered,provided the government agreed to make certain changes in the draft text which it had circulated. Acharia agreed.

According to the script,both the BJP and the CPM demanded changes in the formulation to replace the term inflationary pressures with price rise,inclusion of the term common man in the resolution and a call to the government to take steps to contain the adverse impact of inflation. While the first suggestion was rejected,the other two were accepted.

Although both the BJP and the CPM would not like to publicise their new-found bonhomie inside Parliament,sources said the parties have been interacting more off late.

BJP sources said it was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who took the first step to end the impasse. He broached the topic during a meeting with Swaraj last week and told her that Mukherjee would get in touch with her to find a way out.