NEW DELHI: The Opposition has come together in rare strategy to place the Modi government in the dock in the remaining week of Parliament and thereby prevent it from introducing the controversial Insurance Bill along with other legislations.

In a bid to prevent division in the Opposition ranks as the Congress party would have had to support the Insurance Bill brought by its own government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, it has been decided that Left MP Sitaram Yechury will bring in a resolution protesting against the government’s hike in excise duty on petrol at a time when global prices have crashed, and should have been reflected in the Indian price as well. The entire Opposition together will demand a discussion and voting on the resolution.

It is more than certain that the government will oppose a vote on this resolution. The Opposition is of course adamant that it will not relent on this very crucial issue, and the government will have to roll back the excise hike so that India too can directly benefit from the global reduction in petrol prices. Interestingly as the MP’s pointed out, a similar resolution in the Lok Sabha had the potential of bringing down the government if the Opposition had the numbers and had not been decimated to below majority point in the parliamentary elections earlier this year.

The conversions, the communal statements by BJP ministers at the centre, and the Ram Mandir remarks by the Uttar Pradesh Governor has brought the entire Opposition together in Parliament that witnessed repeated disruptions as the MP’s sought explanations and statements from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This unity that even had the Left and the Trinamool Congress MP’s in the well of the Lok Sabha at the same time and on the same issue, has enthused the Opposition to a point where it is determined to carry the camaraderie through the session that ends on December 23.

The Insurance Bill would have dented this as the Congress party has no option but to support the legislation brought in by former PM Manmohan Singh. The ‘strategy’ to upstage the government intention with the important resolution on petrol pricing is expected to turn the tables on Monday when the Rajya Sabha meets with the demand for a discussion on the resolution with a vote. The sources told The Citizen that while the Opposition parties were well aware that a vote in the Upper House would not bring down the government as it could, had it been possible, in the Lok Sabha it will “amount to a moral defeat.”

The Insurance Bill raises the cap on foreign equity from 26 per cent to 49 percent. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M.Venkaiah Naidu had said earlier, “we are committed. We want insurance reforms at the earliest and I am confident of getting the support of major opposition parties as they have all given a commitment.” The BJP was counting on support from the Congress party but it will now be pre-occupied in the Upper House with the resolution on petrol pricing that will acquire great urgency, besides being a “pro-people” issue.

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