New Delhi, November 19
Unfazed by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s decision to move a no-confidence against the ruling UPA combine in the winter session of Parliament that commences on Thursday, the government today said it had the numbers to survive the vote.

“We are fully confident of the numbers and will prove our majority on the floor of Lok Sabha whenever such a motion comes. We have more than 272,” Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit said here today, a view endorsed by Information 
and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari.

The government’s confidence stems from the fact that the Opposition is divided on this issue and most political parties, except the Trinamool, are not ready for an early Lok Sabha poll. Although there is no official word from UPA’s outside supporters -- the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party -- the Congress is certain they will not destabilise the government.

The CPM, the Trinamool’s arch political foe in West Bengal, has already made it clear it will not support Mamata’s move. Talking to mediapersons today, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said, "We have discussed the matter twice and our united stand is that we will not support Trinamool Congress's no confidence motion." The CPM has already given a notice for a debate on FDI in retail under Rule 184, which entails a vote.

"We think the best way to corner the government is to move the resolution in Lok Sabha under Rule 184... No-confidence motion will help the UPA government because they have the numbers. We will not go for a no-confidence motion, but will take some other steps which will help us to corner the government," he said.

CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta has said his party would not bail out the government if the Trinamool brought a motion against it, but it could be persuaded to revise its position.

The BJP has not revealed its stand. The issue will be discussed tomorrow by the Parliamentary party’s executive to be followed by a meeting of the NDA called to chalk out its strategy to corner the UPA government.

The Left and the BJP are wary of supporting a no-trust motion as they believe a defeat will be tantamount to an endorsement of the UPA government’s policies. The Trinamool chief’s move has put the BJP in a dilemma. As the principal Opposition party, it cannot be seen to be bailing out the government by rejecting her proposal. On the other hand, it will hand over the political initiative to Mamata Banerjee if it supports the motion. Congress leaders privately admit they are more worried about the vote on FDI than Mamata Banerjee’s plans to move a no-confidence motion. In the case of a no-trust motion, its allies -- including the SP and the BSP -- would back the ruling combine as none of them are keen on a mid-term poll.

However, the government will face greater embarrassment on the FDI issue as the SP and the DMK will find it hard to vote with it, as both have publicly opposed this policy.