Ready To Face Opposition parties’ No Trust Motion: NDA
BJP led NDA Government does not look perturbed about facing the opposition moved no trust motion on Friday even after UPA chief Sonia Gandhi publicly vowed to topple the four and three month-old Modi dispensation in the Lok Sabha by voting it out. Government’s Spokesman asked Gandhi to check and recheck the number of votes proposed to be cast in favour of the motion. Meanwhile, both ruling and Opposition parties have issued instruction through whip to be present during the debate and voting on the motion. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan ruled on Wednesday that the motion will be taken up for discussion on Friday at 11 am IST suspending all other businesses and there will be voting the same day. She told the House after admitting a notice brought by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the other Opposition parties, including the Congress, on Wednesday.. The Opposition seeks to corner the Modi Government on its stand on grant of special status to Andhra Pradesh, lynching, cow vigilantism, atrocities against women, Dalits, and dilution of law meant for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes’ protection. All these are mentioned in the no-confidence motion listed by the TDP and other Opposition parties, including the Congress. The BJP and the Government, which are sure to carry the day with 273 BJP members minus The Speaker and 313 MPs of National Democratic alliance (NDA) would emphasise unity within the NDA with general elections less than six months away. The major NDA allies include 18 of Shiv Sena, six Lok Jan Shakti Party and four Shiromani Akali Dal. In a House of 535 members, the strength of the Opposition is 222, including 63 of the Congress-led UPA, 37 of AIADMK, 34 TMC, 20 BJD, 16 TDP and 11 TRS.The Biju-Janata Dal (BJD) and AIADMK are yet to make their stand clear on the issue. The BJD would be facing the BJP in Odisha in the Assembly polls to be held with Lok Sabha election, but it is unlikely to side with The Congress. BJP claims some parties may abstain from voting even after conveying their grievances in the House while participation in the debate on no trust motion. Friday. The discussion will be held for the full day, followed by voting on it,” The Speaker said.The TDP, which had quit the NDA in March in protest against the Government not giving a special package to Andhra Pradesh, had moved the motion during Zero Hour which was admitted by the Speaker.“More than 50 members are supporting the motion, so the leave is granted (to bring in no-confidence motion),” Mahajan said earlier in the day, accepting the notice.With Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge demanding that the largest party be allowed to move the motion, Mahajan said as per rules, the party which raises the motion first, gets to move it.“It’s not a question of big party, small party… Those who brought the no-confidence motion, I read all the rules. The person who first brought the motion, has to be called first,” Mahajan said.As Kharge pressed with the demand that all members who brought in the motion should be allowed to move it, Mahajan said “You go through the record… I have gone according to the rule”.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the Government is prepared to face the no-confidence motion brought in by several parties. “The entire country has confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said. The Trinamool Congress urged the Speaker to defer it till Monday saying it had a scheduled programme.“As you know, we have the ‘Martyr’s Rally’ on July 21. Every MP needs to be present in Kolkata for its preparation. We appeal to you to kindly change the date so that we can all participate. This is for the sake of democracy and for Parliament. We have 34 MPs.So kindly consider our request and postpone the discussion to July 24,” TMC leader Dinesh Trivedi appealed to the Speaker.However, later outside the House, they said all TMC MPs would attend the debate and participate in the voting on the motion.
