Govt faces no-trust motion; PM Modi sees 3rd term for NDA

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, July 26

Ahead of the crucial election cycle this year, the gloves are off between rival camps with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday admitting the Congress-led Opposition’s no-confidence motion against the government on the Manipur issue and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, hours later, predicting a third term win for the ruling NDA in the 2024 General Election.

PM vows fiscal leap

In our third tenure, India will be counted among the world’s three top economies, and this is Modi’s guarantee. Narendra Modi, PM

Noting that “India’s confidence in the nation’s development journey has strengthened under the BJP rule”, the PM said, “In our third term, India will be counted among the world’s three top economies, this is Modi’s guarantee.”

Speaking at the inauguration of Bharat Mandapam, a world-class redeveloped convention centre at Pragati Maidan, which will host the G20 summit, the PM launched a veiled attack on the Opposition, saying that “there is no dearth of negative people in the country…who are habituated to stalling every positive pursuit.”

Attempts were made to embroil even Bharat Mandapam in court battles, the same was done with Kartavya Path, the PM averred, adding that “India was moving ahead with the philosophy of think big, dream big, act big and will become a developed nation by 2047.”

Hours before he spoke amid chants of “Modi, Modi” and “Bharat Mata ki jai” to a packed hall that hosted top industry leaders and personalities, including Aamir Khan, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s no-confidence motion notice against the government for “governance failures in Manipur” was admitted in the Lok Sabha after 50 Opposition MPs supported it when Birla called for a head count in the House.

A no-confidence motion to be admitted has to garner the support of 50 Lok Sabha MPs under Rule 198 of the LS procedures. The Speaker will now schedule a debate on the motion after engaging all floor leaders even as the Congress demanded discussions to start on Thursday after suspending all other business.

MPs of 13 Opposition parties, including the TMC, DMK, CPI, CPM, RSP, Shiv Sena UBT, JD(U), AAP and the National Conference, supported the motion.

Although the rules say that a no-confidence motion, once admitted, can be listed for debate within 10 days, Congress leader Manish Tewari argued that conventionally immediate discussions should start without taking up any other business since a lack of confidence had been expressed in the government.

Tewari said the motion was backed by all 26 INDIA alliance parties and was necessitated due to “absence of a government in Manipur for over 80 days”.

The motion would be put to vote after the PM’s reply.

The government, for its part, said every time the Opposition moved a no-confidence motion, the BJP won a bigger mandate. “We won a bigger mandate than 2014 after the Opposition moved a no-confidence motion in July 2018. The same will happen in 2024,” said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.

Importantly, the Prime Minister had in February 2019 predicted a no-confidence motion by the Opposition in 2023.

In 2018, the motion was defeated. Even now, the fate of the motion is predetermined with the BJP commanding 301 MPs on its own and 330 with NDA parties in a 543-member House.

The Opposition feels the move would strengthen it in a battle of perceptions as elections loom.

No-confidence move backed by 50 oppn MPs

• Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi moved the no-trust motion notice against the government
• The motion, alleging govt’s ‘failures’ in Manipur, admitted after 50 Oppn MPs backed it
• Speaker to schedule a debate on the motion after engaging all floor leaders, though Cong sought immediate debate

Showdown likely on delhi ordinance too

• Bill to replace the controversial Delhi ordinance is likely to be presented in RS on Thursday
• A showdown is expected over the Bill between the BJP and the Opposition members
• Cong, AAP, BRS issued a whip, asking their MPs to be present as ‘very important issues will be taken up for discussion’