Despite their cut motions being defeated in the Lok Sabha, the Opposition parties on Tuesday claimed moral victory, saying they had been successful in pressurising the United Progressive Alliance over the issue of price rise.
"Our only purpose behind introducing the cut motion was to pressurise the government into rolling back the prices of petrol and diesel. We did not want to destabilise the government," Communist Party of India - Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters. Claiming moral victory, he also said that the day-long general strike against price rise called by 13 non-UPA and non-National Democratic Alliance parties was a 'success'.
"Both outside and inside Parliament, we were successful in pressurising the government, as 201 MPs voted in favour of the cut motion, which is an encouraging number considering the fact that Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal members had walked out," Yechury said.
Asked why the Opposition could not rope in SP and RJD to support the cut motion, the CPI-M leader said, "We wanted both the parties to come with us, but they decided not to go with the BJP."
"However, the cut motion should not have been seen as a move by any individual party. In fact, one of our MPs moved it. Ultimately, it should be seen in a larger perspective that the entire Opposition voted in favour of the cut motion" he said.
Yechury said, "Only they (SP and RJD) can answer as to what kind of pressure they were under," when asked if the two parties had entered into a deal with the UPA.
