Oppn plays no-confidence motion card to ‘force’ PM speak on Manipur

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing logjam in both the Houses of Parliament over discussion on Manipur violence, the Opposition alliance INDIA has decided to bring a non-confidence motion against the government to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak in the House on Manipur during the discussion on no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha.

As per party leaders, 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.

The party insiders further said that after weighing various options to force the Prime Minister to speak in Parliament on the Manipur situation, it was decided that this would be an effective way to ‘compel’ the government to initiate a discussion on the issue. The Opposition strategy to corner the government on Manipur will continue in the Rajya Sabha as well.

However, political experts have opined that numbers are very much in favour of NDA in Lok Sabha. The government would not get affected by the motion to test the majority of the ruling government.

The leaders of Opposition alliance INDIA also accept the fact the Treasury Benches have complete majority in the Lower House. “It’s due to their majority in Lok Sabha that they are not paying heed to the demands of the Opposition for discussion on Manipur violence under Rule 267 and a statement by PM Modi on the issue in both the Houses of Parliament,” an Opposition party leader said.

“The plan to bring a no-confidence motion is a well-thought strategy of the Opposition alliance to make the PM accountable for incidents of violence in Manipur. If the government agrees to discuss the issue as Opposition parties demand, there may not be the need to bring a motion against the government,” the leader said, adding that the nation has the right to know about the truth of Manipur violence.

Meanwhile, amid the continued logjam, three Bills were passed in Parliament on the fourth day of the post-lunch session of the Monsoon Session.

The Lok Sabha passed the Multi-State Co-Operative Societies (Amendment) Bill moved by Home Minister Amit Shah at 5 pm in less than an hour to bring transparency and regular elections. The Lower House also passed the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill after 40 minutes of debate as Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav sought its priority over other Bills listed on the day’s agenda.

The Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated ruckus in the forenoon session and spent more than two hours in passing the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) to cover 12 communities comprising a population of 72,000 in Chhattisgarh.

In Rajya Sabha, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal and Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge exchanged barbs over the debate on Manipur. Kharge demanded the presence of the PM and Goyal stressed that atrocities on women in Opposition-ruled states will also be discussed in the House.

Kharge said that over 50 members have given notices for discussion on the Manipur issue under Rule 267, but the government is not ready.

Goyal countered him by saying that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is ready to have a discussion on issues related to atrocities on women in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and West Bengal.

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 support 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, the Opposition alliance INDIA has over 140 and over 60 members belong to parties not aligned to any of the two groups.