No-confidence motion against Modi government accepted in Lok Sabha
To force Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the situation in strife-torn Manipur, the Congress and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's (KCR) Bharat Rashtra Samithi filed a no-confidence motion against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accepted the motion and said the members will be informed about the schedule for discussion later.
Why does this story matter?
The government virtually faces no threat from the motion, which comes amid an impasse in Parliament's Monsoon Session over the Manipur issue. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been accused of evading discussion on Manipur, which has been witnessing violent ethnic clashes for nearly three months. The move comes as a surprise as the BRS isn't a part of the opposition's alliance.
Huge service to nation: Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Priyanka Chaturvedi
The no-confidence motion was first moved by Congress's Lok Sabha Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi, followed by BRS MP Nageswara Rao. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that the people are wondering why PM Modi is not coming to Parliament. She added that forcing PM Modi to appear in Parliament by a no-confidence motion would be "a huge service to the nation."
People taught them lesson last time: BJP's Pralhad Joshi
Hitting back at the opposition alliance, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the people have confidence in PM Modi and the BJP. He added, "They brought a No Confidence Motion in the last term as well. People of this country taught them a lesson."
325 MPs rejected no-confidence motion in 2018
To recall, the opposition had also moved a no-confidence motion against the BJP government in 2018, which was supported by 126 members while 325 members rejected it. The motion was moved by N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which was in power in Andhra Pradesh, over alleged non-allocation of funds to Andhra Pradesh, rising mob violence, and the Rafale deal controversy—currently under investigation.
It's not about numbers: RJD's Manoj Jha
"Regarding the no-confidence motion, we are well aware that the numbers are not in our favor. But it's not about the numbers, the PM will have to speak in the Parliament following a no-confidence motion," Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Kumar Jha said.
Lok Sabha adjourned till 12:00pm
Jha also gave a suspension of business notice in the Rajya Sabha along with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Tiruchi Siva, Congress MPs Rajeev Shukla and Ranjeet Ranjan, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha. Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12:00pm amid sloganeering. Separately, a 2018 video of PM Modi in which he predicted the opposition bringing a no-confidence motion went viral.
