New Delhi: Amidst opposition parties’ demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi address the violence in Manipur in the parliament, Congress has moved a no-confidence motion against his government in Lok Sabha.Deputy leader of the house Gaurav Gogoi submitted the motion, which can be moved under Rule 198 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Lok Sabha.The rule states that the member has to move a written notice before 10 am, which will be read out by the Speaker of the House within 10 days of the written motion being submitted.Once the Speaker reads out the motion in the House, a minimum of 50 members will have to rise in support of it for the Speaker to give a date or dates for discussion of the motion.Speaker Om Birla informed the house that he has received the motion of no-confidence from Gogoi.“I will discuss with the leaders of all parties and inform you of an appropriate time to take this up for discussion,” Birla said after opposition members rose in support of the motion.Earlier Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha had announced the party’s decision in this regard. “We are moving the no-confidence motion,” he was quoted as saying to ANI.A separate motion of no-confidence has also been filed by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) floor leader Nama Nageshwar Rao.BRS MP Ranjith Reddy shared a copy of the notice on Twitter and said that the motion has been filed as the people of the country “deserve to hear the detailed discussion on alarming Manipur violence.”Parliament is the highest panchayat representing the Country, through parliament people deserve to hear the detailed discussion on alarming #Manipur_Violence When this basic courtesy is curtailed, there is ‘No Confidence’ on Ruling Govt.@BRSParty Lok Sabha floor Leader Nama… pic.twitter.com/BfojUhxsih— Dr Ranjith Reddy – BRS (@DrRanjithReddy) July 26, 2023 “When this basic courtesy is curtailed, there is ‘No Confidence’ on ruling government.” This motion was not mentioned by the Speaker.This is the second motion of no-confidence that the Modi government will be facing.In 2018, a similar motion was passed but was defeated by the National Democratic Alliance by 199 votes. While 126 members supported the motion, 325 MPs rejected it. Members of the ‘INDIA’ alliance of 26 parties have said that the no-confidence motion is crucial for Modi to speak in parliament on Manipur.Manipur has been in the grip of ethnic violence since May 3. Over 150 people have died and tens of thousands have been displaced.Last week Modi did speak – although outside parliament – condemning a video that went viral showing two Kuki women being paraded naked, but he failed to speak on the overall law and order situation in the state.On Tuesday Union home minister Amit Shah told parliament that he has written a letter to the leaders of opposition in both houses of parliament urging them to “cooperate” in conducting a discussion on Manipur.The opposition however has stayed firm on its demand for a statement by Modi inside the House and a discussion under Rule 267 of the Rajya Sabha’s ‘Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business’.The government, on the other hand, has only agreed to a short-term discussion under Rule 127.The no-confidence motion moved by the Congress is being supported by members of the INDIA alliance of 26 opposition parties.Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha said that regardless of the motion’s outcome, its purpose is to stop the BJP-led government from evading accountability and will compel it to allow the parliament to function, initiate a long-duration discussion on the prevailing situation in Manipur and northeast region.Traditionally and conventionally, a no-confidence motion serves as an instrument to compel the prime minister to address the issue raised, he added.Parliamentary affairs minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said that the government is ready for a no-confidence motion.“Let the No Confidence Motion come. Government is ready for every situation. We do want a discussion on Manipur,” Meghwal said. Home minister Shah has also said this yesterday.“Before the commencement of the session, they wanted a discussion. When we agreed, they brought up the issue of Rules. When we reached an agreement on Rules, they brought in the new issue that the PM come and initiate discussion. I think these are all excuses,” Meghwal also said to ANI.
