Opposition's Cut Motions against UPA fall flat in Lok Sabha - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

All the Cut Motions floated against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday over price-rise issue were defeated. The Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar chaired the Cut Motions in the House and asked for voting on the Motion by voice-vote. While announcing the results of the Left Front's Cut Motion as proposed by its leader Gurudas Dasgupta, Ms. Kumar said: ""Ayes" are 201 and "Nos" are 289." Announcing the results of the BJP's Cut Motion, Ms. Kumar said: "Ayes are 162 and Nos are 246". After announcing both the results, Ms. Kumar declared: "All the Motions moved (by the Opposition) are treated negative." The UPA defeated Left's Cut Motion by 88 votes and BJP's Cut Motion by 84 votes. Earlier, during the Cut Motions, as floated by different political parties separately in the Lok Sabha, the UPA looked well-prepared. The Government allies were present in full strength to counter the Motion moved by the Opposition parties. Blaming the BJP for going soft on the IPL-issue against the Government, Lalu Yadav opted to abstain along with his 4 MPs and the Samajwadi Party's 21 MPs also joining him. For the Congress-led UPA, the walk out staged by the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal and Mulyam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, came as a relief ahead of the Cut Motion. Earlier in the day, Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)'s announcement to support the Government during the Cut Motion in the Lok Sabha, had already come as a major reprieve for the UPA-Govt.. BJP had issued a party-whip to all its MPs to ensure that they supported the Cut Motion against the Government in full strength. Earlier in the day, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha had been adjourned till noon, as the Opposition continued with its diatribe against the UPA Government over the price rise. The Opposition also staged a protest outside Parliament over the same, holding cards that read: "Bring back the price to an affordable level." Cut motions can be of three types: disapproval of policy cut, economic cut and token cut.