07-01-2008, 07:30 AM
<b>Congress sees victory in LS </b>
New Delhi, June 30: Congress managers have started working on mustering a majority on the floor of the Lok Sabha if a floor test becomes necessary in the Monsoon Session if the Left withdraws support. While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said he is confident of securing the support of the House on the nuclear deal, the role of the Samajwadi Party, smaller parties, Independents and unattached members has become crucial.
Besides the SP (37 MPs), the Janata Dal(S), with two, Raj Babbar (unattached, suspended by SP), Veerendra Kumar (expelled by JD-S), A. Narendra (expelled by TRS), Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Baleshwar Yadav of the National Loktantrik Party, and Independents â Thupstan Chhwang (J&K), Harish Nagpal (UP), Charenamei Mani (Manipur) and S.K. Bwiswmuthiary (Assam) â are being approached.
They are confident that the three RLD members would back the UPA. But whether Mehbooba Muftiâs PDP and Asaduddin Owaisi of the AIMIM would support a deal with the US would be interesting to see, as parties which depend on Muslim support would not like to be seen as pro-US. The Congress has 154 members, RJD 24, DMK 16, NCP 11, PMK six, JMM five, LJP four, MDMK two, Kerala Congress two, and the RPI, Sikkim Democratic Front and Muslim League one each.
A section of the Congress wants the session, due in August, to be further postponed, perhaps till September. But if the Left withdraws support in a few days, in early July, the session might have to be brought forward, or even â as the BJP might demand â a special session convened.
External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, Leader of the House, is working on floor strategy, along with agriculture minister Sharad Pawar. The Congress is hoping the Shiv Sena, which has publicly supported the nuclear deal, and the Akali Dal, despite both being part of the NDA, will not vote to bring down the Manmohan Singh government.
New Delhi, June 30: Congress managers have started working on mustering a majority on the floor of the Lok Sabha if a floor test becomes necessary in the Monsoon Session if the Left withdraws support. While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said he is confident of securing the support of the House on the nuclear deal, the role of the Samajwadi Party, smaller parties, Independents and unattached members has become crucial.
Besides the SP (37 MPs), the Janata Dal(S), with two, Raj Babbar (unattached, suspended by SP), Veerendra Kumar (expelled by JD-S), A. Narendra (expelled by TRS), Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Baleshwar Yadav of the National Loktantrik Party, and Independents â Thupstan Chhwang (J&K), Harish Nagpal (UP), Charenamei Mani (Manipur) and S.K. Bwiswmuthiary (Assam) â are being approached.
They are confident that the three RLD members would back the UPA. But whether Mehbooba Muftiâs PDP and Asaduddin Owaisi of the AIMIM would support a deal with the US would be interesting to see, as parties which depend on Muslim support would not like to be seen as pro-US. The Congress has 154 members, RJD 24, DMK 16, NCP 11, PMK six, JMM five, LJP four, MDMK two, Kerala Congress two, and the RPI, Sikkim Democratic Front and Muslim League one each.
A section of the Congress wants the session, due in August, to be further postponed, perhaps till September. But if the Left withdraws support in a few days, in early July, the session might have to be brought forward, or even â as the BJP might demand â a special session convened.
External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, Leader of the House, is working on floor strategy, along with agriculture minister Sharad Pawar. The Congress is hoping the Shiv Sena, which has publicly supported the nuclear deal, and the Akali Dal, despite both being part of the NDA, will not vote to bring down the Manmohan Singh government.