Monsoon Session: Debate on no-confidence motion likely next week
What's the story
The debate on the opposition's no-confidence motion against the government is likely to be conducted next week, the Hindustan Times reported. Opposition leaders wore black clothes to Parliament on Thursday as several MPs gave adjournment notices to discuss the Manipur issue. Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi took a dig at the opposition alliance, saying that the parties should first have confidence among themselves.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The no-confidence motion poses no threat to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government as it commands a brute majority in the Lok Sabha with over 330 MPs. However, the opposition bloc said the motion isn't intended to bring the government down but to force Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appear in Parliament and address the ongoing ethnic clashes in Manipur.
Twitter Post
No-confidence motion waste of Parliament's time: BJP MP
The anti BJP Oppositions proposed #NoConfidenceMotion is a waste of Parliamentary time, an obstacle in the conduct of business for the session and no more than an attempt to avoid a full fledged debate on Manipur which was their original demand. Since 2014 there is no…
— Mahesh Jethmalani (@JethmalaniM) July 26, 2023
Adjourned
Both Houses adjourned till 2 pm
Both the Houses were adjourned till 2:00pm as chaos ensued amid sloganeering by the opposition and the Treasury Benches. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said the situation in Manipur is a result of the hatred spread by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and subsequent vote bank politics by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He questioned why PM Modi isn't facing Parliament.
Details
Rule says no business once motion is accepted: Manish Tewari
The opposition is protesting against the Treasury Bench for not allowing a discussion on Manipur and for not facilitating a discussion on the no-confidence motion. Congress MP Manish Tewari cited rules saying once a no-confidence motion is accepted, all other business is suspended and discussion is initiated immediately. The rules state that a debate should be conducted within 10 days of the motion's acceptance.
Statement
Motion signed only by Congress MPs
The BJP accused the Congress of not consulting its alliance partners as the no-confidence motion was signed only by Congress MPs. Reacting to this, Communist Party of India (CPI) MP Binoy Viswam said, "That chapter is closed." He added that on objecting, the Congress leadership acknowledged that it happened in a hurry. "We don't want to make it a big issue," he said.