LS adjourned till Wednesday: No Trust Motion not taken up

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha could not take up the No Confidence Motion against the Narendra Modi government due to continuous uproarious scenes.

As the repeated plea from the Chair urging the slogan shouting AIADMK members and rebel AAP member Dharam Vira Gandhi to return to their seats from the Well did not yield expected results, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House for the day.

In the post noon session, taking up the No Confidence Motion moved by the floor leaders of various parties including Mallikarjun Kharge (Congress), P Karunakaran (CPI-M) and Thota Narasimham (TDP) and other members, the Speaker told the agitating members that she had to do headcount of 50 members standing on their designated places to allow taking up of the motion.

"I am duty bound to allow the motion, but I cannot do the headcount in this situation and therefore I request all members to go back to their seats," she said.

The Congress, NCP, Left and TDP members resorted to unique style to demonstrate their support for the No Confidence Motion and several members carried a placard each with numbers inserted on it.

Amid the din, Congress floor leader Mr Kharge said, "Madam, you require 50 Members to allow the No Confidence Motion, there are now more than 50 members. We all want a debate on the Motion".

The Speaker, however, contended that she could not do the headcount amid unruly scenes in the House.

Making a brief intervention, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the Modi goverment is keen for debate in the House on the no-trust motion as the ruling regime enjoys "confidence" both in the House and outside.

He also slammed Congress role in the entire episode and said the grand old party is "losing its primacy" in national politics.

"The Congress is now a marginal party. Even for No Confidence Motion, they are following others," Mr Kumar said and counseled that Mr Kharge's party should do some "soul searching" on the matter.

"As the House is not in order, I will not be able to allow to take up the Motion," the Speaker said in reference to the AIADMK members who were raising slogans demanding setting up of Cauvery Water Management Board.

The Patiala lawmaker Mr Gandhi was in the Well with a placard reading - 'State Control over their resources'.

In between, the Speaker allowed laying of papers and later adjourned the House till Wednesday.

A No-Confidence Motion in the Lok Sabha can be accepted, only if there is support of at least 50 members.

Earlier, the House was adjourned within minutes of assembling till 12 noon due to bedlam created chiefly by the AIADMK members.