Trinamool Congress today said it would continue to oppose the bills related to opening the pension sector to foreign investment and raising FDI cap in insurance to 49 per cent, in Parliament.

“All bills, including those on privatisation of pension funds and FDI in insurance, should not be brought forward in the current session of Parliament. We will more or less oppose these bills because they will affect the common people,” TMC parliamentary party leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay told PTI.

“We will vote in Parliament against any measure to allow FDI in pension,” he emphasised. His remarks came two days after the government won the crucial voting in Parliament on FDI in multi-brand retail.

On the issue of raising FDI cap in insurance, he, however, said, “Our party will discuss it at the appropriate time and decide when any such bill is brought in the House and put to vote seeking approval of the House.”

“Our party chief Mamata Banerjee has already made commitment to the people before the last Lok Sabha and Assembly elections on opposing FDI in multi-brand retail and privatisation of pension funds. We will not compromise on our stand,” the Trinamool leader said.

The TMC has 19 members in Lok Sabha and nine in Rajya Sabha.

Opposing FDI in multi-brand retail, he said 14 parties had spoken out against the decision and asserted that the voting results in Lok Sabha did not reflect the true ‘sense’ of the House as SP and BSP had staged a walkout.

“It should be remembered that SP had walked out of the House on FDI issue,” he pointed out.

Bandyopadhyay said the Congress-led UPA government had become a minority the day Trinamool withdrew support from it.

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