No-confidence motion: India will be watching us, tweets PM Modi

Hours before the debate on the no-confidence motion on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to all MPs to rise to the occasion and ensure a constructive discourse.

Modi tweeted – 'Today is an important day in our Parliamentary democracy. I am sure my fellow MP colleagues will rise to the occasion and ensure a constructive, comprehensive & disruption free debate. We owe this to the people & the makers of our Constitution. India will be watching us closely.'

The National Democratic Alliance has 312 members in the current 533-member Lok Sabha, well above the halfway mark of the 267 needed for it to sail through the challenge posed by the Congress and Telugu Desam Party, among others. And even in the unlikely event of all its allies ditching the BJP at the last moment, the BJP would still have a count of 273 — six more than what's needed to emerge victorious.