Prafulla Ghadei

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 5: The debate in Parliament over FDI in multi-brand retail found its echo in the Odisha Assembly too. BJD members led the protest and were supported by BJP and Left legislators, but Congress MLAs were on the defensive.

The chief minister and BJD supremo had made his party’s stand clear on the issue and asked his party MPs to vote against the UPA government in Parliament on the issue.

BJD parliamentary party whip in Lok Sabha Bhartruhari Mahtab today took part in the debate and opposed the move to allow FDI in retail. The party was one of the first to oppose FDI in retail when the proposal was mooted last year. It continues to oppose the reform measure even in its revised form in which state governments have been given freedom to make their choice.

The regional party had issued a three-line whip to its MPs yesterday to vote against the official motion. The party has 14 MPs in the Lok Sabha and seven in the Upper House. The party had supported the no-confidence motion notice given by Trinamul Congress on the FDI issue in the Lok Sabha last month.

Back home, party legislators raised the issue in the state Assembly during zero hour today. Setting the tone for discussion, senior BJD leader and former finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadei said around 12 crore people would be affected if FDI was allowed in multi-brand retail.

“We will not tolerate invasion of foreign capital in the country’s economic sovereignty,” he said.

“Manmohan Singh was opposing FDI in retail when he was parliamentary party leader in Rajya Sabha. He has changed his stand after becoming Prime Minister,” said Ghadei.

His party colleague and former agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy alleged that the Congress was out to allow FDI in retail sector in a bid to collect election funds. His remark triggered a loud protest from the Congress bench.

Congress member Naba Kishore Das said it was the BJD that was adopting double standards. “While the BJD is opposing FDI in retail, it is welcoming Posco and Vedanta to Odisha,” said Das.

The House witnessed a heated debate for more than an hour with BJD and Congress members vying with each other on the contentious issue.

The Congress bench was on the defensive, while BJP and CPI members sided with BJD in assailing the UPA government’s move.