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Oppn plans to move a no-confidence motion
INDIA plans to bring a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi'ss government to force him to address issues such as the Manipur situation.
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) took its fight with the government to another level on Tuesday and said it plans to bring a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in an attempt to force him to reply on raging issues, including the Manipur situation. The decision comes after days of acrimony and disruption in Parliament coupled with the BJP’s refusal to accept the Opposition’s demand that Modi speak on Manipur. And it comes even as Union home minister Amit Shah made another attempt to break the deadlock in both houses of Parliament by writing to leaders of the Opposition, offering a discussion on the situation in the northeastern state.
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At the INDIA alliance’s floor strategy meeting on Tuesday, leaders of the member-parties discussed a proposal to move a no-confidence motion against the government in the Lok Sabha. Later the Trinamool Congress’s Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O’Brien tweeted: “The overall Parliamentary strategy is in place for the INDIA parties. Tactics to execute that strategy evolve every day. Rule 198 of the Lok Sabha states the procedure of moving a no-confidence motion. Picture abhi baki hai (wait and watch)!”
To be sure, the Narendra Modi government, which enjoys the support of at least 332 MPs in the Lok Sabha, faces virtually no threat from this no-confidence motion. A senior Opposition leader said that the alliance has factored in the outcome of the voting on the motion before taking the decision. “We are looking at two positive sides of the no-confidence motion. One, the Prime Minister will be forced to speak in the House. And two, if the BJP tries to run away from the motion, it will be a political gain for us.”
The Congress on Tuesday evening issued a three-line whip asking its MPs to be present on Wednesday. A Congress Lok Sabha MP confirmed this. “All Lok Sabha MPs of (Congress Parliamentary Party) have been requested to be present positively in CPP Office on July 26, at 10.30am, to discuss some important issues.”
Other Opposition leaders said signatures of Opposition MPs will be collected for the notice on no-confidence. Signatures of at least 50 lawmakers supporting the motion is a mandatory requirement under Lok Sabha rules. The notice for no-confidence is set to be submitted by Thursday.
If approved by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, this would be the second no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On July 20, 2018, the government defeated a motion moved by TDP lawmaker Srinivas Kesineni, who was backed by many Opposition parties. One of the highlights of the debate was Congress leader Rahul Gandhi crossing over to the treasury benches and hugging Modi.
Under Rule 198 (1) of the Lok Sabha, a member has to seek a leave to make the motion when called by the Speaker. A member asking for leave shall submit his notice to the Lok Sabha secretary general by 10am to be taken up on the same day. In the House, the Speaker will “request those members who are in favour of leave being granted to rise in their places, and if not less than fifty members rise accordingly, the Speaker shall declare that leave is granted”, the rule says.
If the notice is accepted, the Speaker will allot “a day or days or part of a day for the discussion of the motion”.
The Opposition had paralysed the parliamentary proceedings for last three days over their demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on the Manipur issue. On Tuesday, Shah wrote letters in Hindi to opposition leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, saying the people of Manipur want members of all political parties give them confidence that the lawmakers are united and committed to the peace of Manipur. The Union home minister said that the government was ready to discuss the Manipur violence and urged all to cooperate, rising above party lines.
Top NDA functionaries including Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh and parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi have reiterated that the government wants a discussion on Manipur. But the government managers also said that the Union home minister will reply to the debate.
“Earlier also our great Parliament has done it. The Opposition is demanding that the government gives a statement but I want to tell you that the government is ready not only for a statement but also for a full-fledged debate.But the cooperation of all political parties is expected. I urge all the opposition parties to come forward for discussion in a cordial atmosphere,” Shah wrote.
In 2003, the Congress led by then party president Sonia Gandhi moved a no-confidence motion against the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. After a heated debate starting with Gandhi’s “charge sheet” against the government on various issues, the NDA defeated the motion. But Vajpayee lost the national election the following year.
Opposition leaders said that the discussion to bring a no-confidence motion started on Monday morning between senior Congress and Trinamool leaders. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified from the Lok Sabha earlier this year, was consulted before the decision was taken at the floor strategy meeting of the Opposition on Tuesday.
A senior Opposition leader added that “all parties were on board”.
A section of the Opposition, however, is wary about the possibility of disruptions during the admission of the notice. In the UPA-era, a number of no-confidence motions have been rejected on the ground that the House was not in order to count how many leaders are supporting the motion.
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On Tuesday afternoon Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla called a business advisory committee meeting, where parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi urged the Opposition to participate in the debate. Joshi added that the government is ready to have a discussion on Manipur for six hours. The Opposition leaders in turn reportedly said the PM can make a statement and leave the House.
Trinamool leader Sudip Bandopadhayay cautioned the government that the Opposition can force the PM to reply to the Lok Sabha, hinting at a no-confidence motion.
Joshi pointed out that the home minister spent three days in Manipur and that a minister of state was in the state for a month. “Can we run smoothly with the home minister’s reply,” Joshi asked.
“If both the Opposition and the government could have given each other some space. The government had agreed to hold a discussion on Manipur and from a general point of view, the Opposition should have allowed a debate. In Parliament, a debate is the most important thing. To be sure, there are no rules that compel the PM to speak in the House during a debate. The Opposition, however, had the right to move a no-confidence motion against the government and they have decided to exercise their right. We hope the debate during the no-confidence motion will not be marred by disruptions and the country will not be denied a chance to watch a fruitful discussion,” said former Lok Sabha secretary general P Sreedharan. read
