Lok Sabha To Hold Debate On No-Confidence Motion On Friday

The Lok Sabha will take up the debate on an Opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government brought by the Telugu Desam Party on Friday.

“The House will take up the debate (on the motion) on Friday, July 20. The discussion will be held for the full day, followed by voting on it,” Speaker Sumitra Mahajan announced in the House when it reassembled after the lunch break on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. She added that there will be no Question Hour on that day and the House would have no other business, barring the discussion on the no-confidence motion.

During the Zero Hour, Mahajan named all members from TDP, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, among others, who had moved similar no-confidence motion notices.

The speaker had not accepted notices for a similar motion during the Budget Session, which was washed out due to continued uproar by TDP, Telangana Rashtriya Samiti and other opposition parties. The motion was rejected on the ground that the House was not in order due to continuous protests on various issues.

The opposition parties brought in no-confidence motion against the government on issues like Grant of special status to Andhra Pradesh, lynchings, atrocities against women and dalits and dilution of a law meant for Scheduled Caste.

With Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge demanding that the largest party be allowed to move the motion, Mahajan said as per rules, the party which raises the motion first, gets to move it. “It's not a question of big party, small party. Those who brought the no-confidence motion, I read all the rules. The person who first brought the motion, has to be called first,” Mahajan said.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the government is prepared to face the no-confidence motion brought in by several parties. “The entire country has confidence on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”