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Tuesday, Aug 03, 2010
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Deadlock over prices issue ends

Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI: With some give and take between the Opposition and ruling parties, an agreement to end the week-long parliamentary impasse over how to discuss the prices issue was reached here on Monday.

In each of the two Houses, a resolution will be moved by the chair — on Tuesday in the Lok Sabha and Wednesday in the Rajya Sabha — expressing concern over inflationary pressure on the economy and calling upon the Centre to take steps to reduce its adverse impact on the common man.

The agreement was finalised at a breakfast meeting of party leaders hosted by Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee. On Saturday, the Opposition and the ruling parties had more or less agreed to the idea of a resolution to be adopted unanimously by the two Houses — a face-saving formula for the Government as well as the Opposition.

However, matters were stuck over the exact words of the resolution. Finally, the Centre conceded the Opposition demand that the common man must figure in the resolution, while the other side settled for the government's preference of the phrase “inflationary pressure” over “high prices.”

The Opposition also agreed to water down its earlier suggestion that the House must express its “serious concern” to just “concern.” It had to climb down from its insistence on the prices debate being held under a substantive motion, which, if carried, would amount to a censure of the government.

By warding that off, the Centre has won a political victory.

The Opposition's reward is that the government will be admitting the “adverse impact” of “inflationary pressures” on the “common man.”

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