Make your stand clear on FDI: Sushma to Sonia

She pointed out at a recent Youth Congress function,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had defended the government’s decision to allow 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail but Sonia Gandhi and Rahul did not air their views on the issue.

“No senior leader of Congress — its party president or any of the general secretaries — has defended the FDI decision,” Swaraj said.

When informed that Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari has said the party was fully with the government,Swaraj maintained he was a “lightweight”.

“The government’s view is clear that they want FDI in retail. The Prime Minister has categorically said so and he also got support of the majority in his Cabinet to get the proposal passed. But since the party has not spoken,the message going out is that some senior leaders in Congress do not agree with the government,” Swaraj said.

“The whole Opposition wants the House to run provided there is a debate and voting on the FDI issue. The government is responsible for the stalemate. It is charging us with creating a ruckus in Parliament. This is not a suitable word. An insensitive government is accusing us of creating a ruckus. We have asked for adjournments and suspension under set rules,” Ahluwalia said.

Swaraj alleged the government had not got back to the Opposition after the all-party meeting except for the phone call from Pranab Mukherjee to BJP leader L K Advani asking him to soften the text of the adjournment motion.

“I had called up Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal last night after the conversation between Mukherjee and Advani. He said they were holding meetings and would get back,” Swaraj said,adding there has been no progress since then.

Ahluwalia said Advani had registered his protest with Mukherjee that Prime Minister Singh expressed his views on FDI at a Youth Congress function but not in Parliament.