Lok Sabha to hold debate on no-confidence Motion on Friday

New Delhi: Parliament’s Monsoon Session kicked off on a note of confrontation Wednesday with the NDA government’s ally-turned-foe Telugu Desam Party pressing with its demand for a no-confidence motion against the Centre.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan immediately accepted the motion moved by the TDP’s Kesineni Srinivas and scheduled the discussion on it for Friday.

With the numbers comfortably stacked on its side, there is no apparent threat to the government. However, the motion will be an opportunity for the Opposition to make its presence felt in a united voice ahead of next year’s general elections. Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has asked all her MPs to be present that day.

The last no-confidence motion was moved in the Lok Sabha by then Congress president Sonia Gandhi against the Atal Behari Vajpayee government in 2003.

Ms Mahajan admitted the notices for the motion moved by several Opposition parties and asked the TDP’s Kesineni Srinivas to move his motion. Later, she announced: “The House will take up the debate (on the motion) on Friday, July 20th. The discussion will be held for the full day, followed by voting on it.”

She also said there will be no Question Hour that day and the House will have no other business, barring the discussion on the no-confidence motion.

During Zero Hour, she named all members from the TDP, Congress and NCP, among others, who had moved similar no-confidence motion notices. “More than 50 members are supporting the motion, so leave is granted (to bring in the no-confidence motion),” Ms Mahajan said, accepting the notice.

The Opposition parties have brought the motion against the government on several issues like its failure to grant special status to Andhra Pradesh, cow vigilantism, lynchings, atrocities against women and dalits and the alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act.

Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said the government was prepared to face the no-confidence motion brought in by several parties. “The entire country has confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.

In a House of 535 members, the ruling NDA has 313 members in the Lok Sabha, including 274 (including the Speaker) of the BJP, 18 of the Shiv Sena, six LJP and four from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

The stated strength of the Opposition is 222, including 63 of the Congress-led UPA, 37 of the AIADMK, 34 of the Trinamul Congress, 20 BJD, 16 TDP and 11 TRS members.

The Opposition’s moves for a no-confidence motion had not been allowed in the Budget Session that was washed out due to the continuous uproar by the TDP, TRS and some other parties demanding that the government agree to the motion.

The Speaker had then disallowed these on the ground that the House was not in order as there was continuous upoar and protests in the Well by members.

Kasineni Srinivas of the TDP, which had quit the ruling NDA coalition in March protesting against the denial of a special package for Andhra Pradesh, moved the motion during Zero Hour. Soon afterwards, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge demanded that the largest party be allowed to move the motion.

But the Speaker said that as per the rules, the party which raises the motion first gets to move it. “It’s not a question of big party, small party... I read all the rules. The person who first brought the motion has to be called first,” she said.

As Mr Kharge pressed with the demand that all members who brought in the motion be allowed to move it, an angry Ms Mahajan said: “You go through the record... I have gone according to the rules.”

When the Speaker announced the debate would be held on Friday, Trinamul leader Dinesh Trivedi urged her to defer it till Monday, saying his party had a pre-scheduled event in Kolkata. But Ms Mahajan said the decision (on the date) had already been taken, and couldn’t be altered.

Later Mr Trivedi spoke to TMC chief Mamata Banerjee on the phone, briefing her about the situation, and told reporters that the CM had told him that all Trinamul MPs would be present in the Lok Sabha on Friday.