Can the Manmohan Singh-led government take key decisions, including the ones that are guaranteed to be unpopular with political allies? BJP’s leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley certainly hopes so and says that if it is in the national interest they will even back such legislation in Parliament.
In an interview to the Economic Times, the BJP leader denied that the party was blocking all economic reform and said that the government could always take alternate decisions to the ones that they were unable to get a consensus on. He also blamed the UPA government’s policy inaction as the reason for the slow growth in the country.
Arun Jaitley says the BJP will support any legislation they believe is in national interest. AFP
Denying the allegation that the opposition had only blocked all legislation suggested by the government, Jaitley said,”Even when we were showing positive indications, much to the displeasure of some others in the Opposition, we found out that the government didn’t have the courage to go ahead with such measures.”
So what about foreign direct investment in the multi-brand retail sector? The timing isn’t right, the BJP leader says. FDI in aviation? Put the legislation in front of them first.
The BJP leader also denied any rift between the party and the JD(U) over Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Modi’s comments on the alliance’s next prime ministerial candidate, but also refused to be drawn into any discussion on whether Narendra Modi stood a chance at being chosen for the post.
He also refused to be drawn into a debate about the BJP’s Karnataka unit, where former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa is seeking the ouster of incumbent DV Sadananda Gowda, saying that they would resolve it but he wasn’t sure about how long it would take.
