No Confidence Motion Against Modi Govt Moved in Lok Sabha by Congress, BRS

NEW DELHI: In a historic move in Parliament, Congress's Lok Sabha Deputy and North east leader Gaurav Gogoi moved a No Confidence Motion against the PM Modi government over the Manipur issue. While the Congress moved the no confidence motion on behalf of the newly- formed opposition alliance INDIA, the BRS also moved a similar no confidence motion against the PM Modi government in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Although the opposition does not have the numbers to make the motion a success, it will have the benefit of forcing PM Modi to speak on the Manipur issue inside Parliament. The opposition parties have been demanding a speech from the Prime Minister in the parliament although Modi had spoken on the subject for 36 seconds outside the Parliament on the first day of the Monsoon Session.

The decision for the motion on the fifth day comes after this monsoon session of Parliament saw disruptions for four consecutive days, with the opposition demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi make a statement on the ethnic violence in Manipur.

This move by the Congress and BRS marks the first such motion in the last 20 years, with the earlier instance being such a motion in 2003 against the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Sources privy to the latest development confirmed that all parties are united in this resolution.

Technically, a no-confidence motion is a means to allow the opposition to challenge the government’s majority on the floor of the House. If the motion is passed successfully, the government is bound to resign. But, in the present scenario, there is no hope that the motion will be successful as the opposition parties lack the numbers in the House.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that he accepted the no trust motion, while adding that an appropriate time for discussion will be allotted by him.

On their part, the opposition alliance INDIA stated that they intend to use the discussion time to highlight the Manipur issue and pressure the government to force the Prime Minister into addressing the matter in Parliament, and not just the Union home minister. Amit Shah had earlier said he will make a statement in the House instead of the PM.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, after filing the no confidence motion against the Modi government, admitted that the INDIA alliance is aware of its numbers in the Lok Sabha. But, he said this is not just about numbers.

“This is about Manipur's fight for justice. A message should go out to the brothers and sisters of Manipur that PM Modi might have forgotten Manipur but INDIA alliance stands with them in this hour of grief and we are fighting for their rights, inside the Parliament,” Gogoi said.

He went on to say that he wanted to tell PM Modi to come to the Parliament and address the nation as the matter is not only about Manipur anymore but it has spread over to other states as well.

Gaurav Gogoi asked PM Modi to address the country from inside the Parliament, in the interest of national security and integrity of the country.

However, BJP MP Sushil Kumar Singh opined that the opposition is making a desperate attempt by bringing the no-confidence motion since they know that they don't have the numbers in Lok Sabha. “Their motive is to create ruckus," he said.

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, while speaking about the opposition's no-confidence motion, said that as per the rules, the Speaker is allowed 10 days to set a date for the voting on the no-confidence motion.

“We will use that opportunity to articulate our point of view why we believe that this government has failed Manipur and India,” he rejoined.

On behalf of BRS, the other mover of the no-trust motion, BRS MP Nama Nageswara Rao said they have moved the No Confidence Motion on behalf of their party. He said all Opposition leaders had been demanding discussion on Manipur issue since the commencement of the session.

“If the PM speaks on this, there will be peace among people of the country - so we made efforts...So, today this Motion has been moved...", he explained.

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