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

The no-trust motion in Parliament that was moved and accepted by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for the first time in 15 years does not pose a threat to the government as the NDA enjoys a comfortable majority. In August 2003, the Congress with the help of other opposition parties had moved a no-confidence motion against the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government but it was defeated by a huge margin.

The Speaker's decision on the motion by former BJP ally TDP and others came on the very first day of the Winter session of Parliament amid speculation of a "deal" between the Government and the Opposition to enable smooth conduct of the proceedings. But Congress circles rejected such a speculation.

The opposition's moves for a no-confidence motion had come to a nought in the last Budget session that was washed out due to continued uproar by the TDP, TRS and some other parties demanding that the government agree to the motion. Protests in the Well by members on various issues had also added to the chaos. The Budget session ended on April 6.

The Speaker had then disallowed the notices on the grounds that the House was not in order.

Admitting the notices for the motion moved by several opposition parties today, Speaker Mahajan asked the TDP's Kesineni Srinivas to move his motion.

Later, she announced that "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 on that day and the House would have no other business, barring the discussion on the no-confidence motion.

Earlier, the Speaker had said that she would announce the date for the debate in 2-3 days.

During the Zero Hour, she named all members from the Telugu Desam Party(TDP), Congress and Nationalist Congress Party(NCP)  among others, who had moved similar no- confidence motion notices.

"More than 50 members are supporting the motion, so the leave is granted (to bring in no-confidence motion)," Mahajan said while accepting the notices.

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

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the government is prepared to face the no-confidence motion.

"The entire country has confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.

"We are hopeful that we will get support from parties outside NDA as well. It is strange that opposition brings this motion despite the fact that the BJP got majority on its own and today NDA is ruling in 21 states," Kumar told reporters.

Sources in the BJP said the government would get the support of at least 314 MPs in the lower house, which has an effective strength of 535 members.

The list of the 314 MPs, however, does not include Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who is also a BJP MP, they said. The majority mark is 268.

In a House of 535 members, the ruling National Democratic Alliance(NDA) has 313 members including 274 (including the Speaker) of BJP, 18 of Shiv Sena, six of Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP and four from Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD).

According to the estimate by the BJP's floor managers, the government is likely to get support from small parties outside the NDA such as Anbumani Ramadoss-led PMK and Raju Shetty-led Swabhimani Paksha. Abstention by some opposition parties is also not being ruled out.

The stated strength of the Opposition is 222, including 63 of the Congress-led UPA, 37 of AIADMK, 34 of Trinamool Congress(TMC), 20 of Biju Janata Dal(BJD), 16 of TDP and 11 of Telangana Rashtra Samithi(TRS).

Kasineni Srinivas of the TDP, which had quit the ruling NDA coalition in March protesting against the government not giving a special package to Andhra Pradesh, had moved the motion during Zero Hour which was admitted by the Speaker.

Soon thereafter, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge demanded that the largest party be allowed to move the motion.

But 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," she said.

As Kharge pressed with the demand that all members who brought in the motion should be allowed to move it, an angry Mahajan said, "You go through the record... I have gone according to the rule".

When the Speaker announced that the debate would be held on Friday, TMC leader Dinesh Trivedi urged her to defer it till Monday saying it had a scheduled programme.

However, later outside the House, they said all TMC MPs would attend the debate and participate in the voting on the motion.

The TMC said it will support the no-confidence motion and that a whip has been issued to its members asking them to be present in the lower house on Friday.

"We are supporting the no-confidence motion in the greater interest and in the interest of the opposition unity," TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters in Kolkata.