New Delhi:
In a dig at Mulayam Singh Yadav, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said Wednesday that while the Samajwadi Party chief during the parliament debate spoke against allowing FDI in multi-brand retail, his presence in the Lok Sabha during voting would have ensured the economic move is defeated.
In her speech concluding the debate in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj said: "Mulayam Singh had appealed to Sonia Gandhi (Congress chief) to withdraw FDI in retail. And he told her: 'If Mahatma Gandhi, Ram Manohar Lohia and Jai Prakash Narayan were here, FDI would not have come'."
"But I want to say that if Mulayam Singh had been here (in the house), then FDI would not have come," said the BJP leader, referring to the decision of the Samajwadi Party, which has 22 MPs, to walk out of the Lok Sabha ahead of the debate.
The party supports the ruling United Progressive Alliance and had assured it not to cause any "trouble" though it is against FDI in retail.
Taking a dig at Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati's decision also to walk out of the Lok Sabha ahead of the vote, Sushma Swaraj wondered if the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was closer to the party's interest or FDI.
Sushma Swaraj said all parties, barring the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Rashtriya Lok Dal, were united against allowing FDI in multi-brand retail.