In order to put pressure on the Prime Minister to bring up the Manipur issue in Parliament, opposition parties intend to initiate a no-confidence resolution against the Indian administration.
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a coalition of opposition parties, is expected to file a no-confidence resolution in the Lok Sabha against the government.
This is the first such motion in 20 years, with the previous one being against the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government in 2003. According to sources close to the situation, all parties are in agreement on this decision.
Despite the assumption that they are certain to fail the numbers test, the opposition parties want to submit a no-confidence resolution against the PM Modi government.
Because the opposition parties have less than 150 members in the Lower House, they are almost certain to be defeated if they introduce a no-confidence motion.
Furthermore, they may not get as much time during the Lok Sabha debate because time is given based on the number of parties in the House.
They intend to utilize the debate, however, to draw attention to the Manipur issue and put pressure on the government to have the Prime Minister address the issue in Parliament, rather than merely the Union Home Minister.
According to sources close to the issue, the opposition plans to file a notice of “no confidence” by Wednesday, pending a final decision by the opposition coalition. It is up to the Speaker, however, to decide when to bring such notice before the House.
After a notice of no confidence is moved, it must be listed in the business of the day and supported by at least 50 MPs in the Lok Sabha before it can be debated in the House.
The alliance partners will meet at 10 a.m. on Wednesday to finalize their arrangements for moving the motion, and Congress MPs have been requested to report to the Congress Parliamentary Party office following the opposition meeting.
The Congress has been silent on the matter of a no-confidence resolution but agrees to move it, with one leader claiming that it is the only way to bring attention to the Manipur issue and force the prime minister to stand out in Parliament.
“In the game of perception, it’s a good idea to target the government on the Manipur issue (through the no-confidence motion),” the leader added.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, added, “Today, it was decided that we would have no other option but to resort to a no-confidence motion because the government is refusing to accept the opposition’s demand for an extensive discussion with the Prime Minister on Manipur.” As our parliament’s head, he should make a statement on the Manipur violence.”
“People have faith in PM Modi and the BJP,” states Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.
“They also brought a No Confidence Motion in the previous term. This country’s people taught them a lesson.”
The final decision on filing the motion will depend on the opposition coalition, and if it goes ahead, it must be supported by at least 50 MPs in the Lok Sabha before being debated in the House.
While the government asserts that the people have faith in PM Modi and the BJP, the opposition remains determined to use the motion strategically to highlight their demands on the Manipur issue.
