Lok Sabha Speaker admits no-confidence motion notice submitted by Congress

The Lok Sabha Speaker on Wednesday (July 26) admitted a no-confidence motion notice submitted by the Opposition in the morning. He will declare the time and date of discussion on the motion after consulting leaders of all parties represented in the Lok Sabha.

Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 12 noon amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs demanding that the Prime Minister come to the House and a discussion be held over the Manipur issue. When the Houses resumed, the notice was accepted in the Lok Sabha.

The notice was submitted by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi. Sources said the notice has been signed by more than 50 MPs from various INDIA coalition partners. According to rules, at least 50 signatures are needed for a no-confidence motion notice to be accepted.

BRS MP Nama Nageswar Rao also submitted a second notice for a no-confidence motion.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, said, “We have moved a no-confidence motion. The purpose is to compel the Prime Minister to speak in the House, as he is accountable to Parliament, but chooses to speak only outside Parliament whenever important matters are raised.”

“Modi’s prediction”

As the Opposition submitted the notice, PM Modi’s reply to such a motion in 2019 went viral wherein he mockingly told the parties behind it that they should prepare to table a similar exercise in 2023 as well.

“I want to send you my good wishes that you prepare so much that you get a chance to bring a no-confidence again in 2023,” he had said while replying in Lok Sabha to the no-confidence motion in 2019, ahead of the general elections.

Government sources shared this part of Modi’s speech to highlight his “prediction”. Responding to an opposition member, Modi said it was the consequence of arrogance that the Congress tally fell from over 400 at one time to nearly 40 in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. And it was due to the spirit of service that the BJP rose from two seats to winning power on its own, he had said.

In Rajya Sabha 

As the Rajya Sabha session resumed at 11 am, several BJP MPs and those from BJP-allied parties from the North East wrote to the Chairman demanding that a short-duration discussion on Manipur, as already admitted by the RS Chairman after consent for it by the Leader of the House, must be allowed to take place.

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he would soon fix a date and time for the discussion.

Opposition MPs slammed these MPs for their request, with some shouting “dhokebaaz” (traitor). Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman demanded that Opposition MPs must apologise for the condemnable language used on the floor of the House against fellow MPs.

During the session, Dhankhar rejected the Opposition’s claims that the mic of Mallikarjun Kharge was turned off on Tuesday when the Leader of Opposition was trying to make an intervention.

Kharge rebutted the Chair, saying: “I was given permission by the Deputy Chair to speak. The Leader of the House is allowed to speak whenever he wants to, but I have to keep raising my hand for a chance to speak. I was trying to keep my points before the House and my mic was turned off. My privilege as an MP was denied; my self-respect was challenged by the MPs (of the Treasury benches).”

Dhankhar refused to take anything said by Kharge on record on grounds that the House was not in order. As Opposition MPs protested, the Chairman told Kharge that his party MPs were standing and must take their seats. Kharge quipped that they were his party MPs and, so, naturally they were standing behind him and not behind Modi.

As the Treasury Benches started shouting “Modi, Modi” and “Modi ke peeche desh khada hai” (the country is behind Modi) slogans, Dhankhar adjourned the House till 12 noon.

No-confidence motion

The Opposition has been seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in both Upper and Lower Houses over the Manipur violence issue but he has refused to speak on it so far, with the government saying Home Minister Amit Shah would speak on it instead.

CPI MP Binoy Viswam told news agency ANI in the morning, “This no-confidence motion is a political move with a political purpose — a political move which will bring results…The no-confidence motion will compel him (Modi) to come to the Parliament. We need a discussion on the issues of the country, especially on Manipur, inside the Parliament. Forget the numbers, they know the numbers and we know the numbers…”

Reacting to the Opposition notice, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said, “People have confidence in PM Modi and BJP. They brought a no-confidence motion in the last term as well. People of this country taught them a lesson.”

As the Opposition submitted the notice in the morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was participating in a havan and puja at the new ITPO complex in New Delhi.

The Opposition had also submitted an Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha, demanding that the Manipur situation be discussed. Congress MP Manish Tewari submitted the notice.

In Rajya Sabha, DMK MP Tiruchi Siva, RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha, Congress MPs Rajeev Shukla and Ranjeet Ranjan, and AAP MP Ragha Chadha submitted a Suspension of Business Notice under Rule 267 and demanded a discussion on the Manipur situation.

(With agency inputs)