Opposition Parties Likely to Move No-Confidence Motion Against Govt in Lok Sabha
Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in a meeting with other leaders of the INDIA alliance parties at his chamber in Parliament House during Monsoon session, in New Delhi, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Image Courtesy: PTI
New Delhi: Some parties of the opposition INDIA alliance are likely to move a notice for a no-confidence motion against the government in the Lok Sabha in an attempt to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak in Parliament on the Manipur violence, sources said on Tuesday.
A proposal to submit the notice was discussed at a meeting of the constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Tuesday morning.
It was decided after weighing various options that this would be an effective way to compel the government to initiate a discussion on the issue, the sources said.
The Opposition strategy to corner the government on Manipur will continue in the Rajya Sabha as well, the sources said.
"I am not aware of their move but if they are doing so they should know that last time they brought a no-confidence motion, BJP came back to power with a stronger majority of over 300 seats and the same will happen again and we will get more than 350 seats," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said in response.
The first no-confidence motion against the Modi government in the Lok Sabha was moved on July 20, 2018. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) scored a thumping win with 325 MPs voting no and only 126 in favour of the no-confidence motion.
Although there was little doubt over the outcome of the 2018 no-trust vote on the floor of the Lower House because of the sheer number of MPs in the NDA’s kitty, the debate gave an opportunity for the opposition to attack the government on a range of issues, including farm distress, slow economic growth and rising incidents of lynching.
A no-confidence motion can be moved by any member of the Lok Sabha. Rule 198 of the Rules of Procedure and conduct of Lok Sabha specifies the procedure for moving a no-confidence motion. The member has to give a written notice of the motion before 10 am which will be read out by the speaker in the House.
A minimum of 50 members have to accept the motion and the speaker will accordingly announce the date for discussion for the motion. The allotted date has to be within 10 days from the day the motion is accepted. If not, the motion fails and the member who moved the motion has to be informed about it.
If the government is not able to prove its majority in the House, it has to resign.
The Lok Sabha currently has a strength of 543 seats of which five are vacant. The BJP-led NDA has over 330 members, INDIA has over 140 and over 60 members belong to parties non-aligned to any of the two groups.
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