The Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the Indian Union Muslim League on Monday joined the Telugu Desam Party, YSR Congress and the Congress to move a no-confidence motion against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government.
The CPI (M)’s leader of the party in Lok Sabha, P Karunakaran, and the Revolutionary Socialist Party’s only MP, NK Premachandran, submitted the notices and asked Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to include it in the list of business for Tuesday – when Parliament will resume the budget session after a three-day break, the Hindustan Times reported.
Indian Union Muslim League General Secretary PK Kunhalikutty said in Kochi that his party has also given the notice, and that the Centre “should consider the resolution before each and every party in the Opposition comes up with a no-confidence motion notice”, The New Indian Express reported.
Other Opposition parties such as the Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal have expressed support to the no-confidence notices.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has so far not taken up any of the notices saying the “House was not in order”.
Little business has been done in both houses of Parliament through the second half of the Budget Session, mainly because of protests by several Opposition parties with different demands.
The Telugu Desam Party and YSR Congress have been demanding a special category status for Andhra Pradesh, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi has been protesting for more job quotas in Telangana, and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam wants the Centre to set up a board to manage the Cauvery water dispute.
The Telugu Desam Party recently left the ruling coalition at the Centre, and was the first to move a no-trust motion. The YSR Congress followed. Both parties said they had filed the motions over Andhra Pradesh being denied ‘special category’ status.
On March 23, the Congress gave its no-trust notice, asking that the House discuss it when the session resumes on Tuesday. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said his party’s no-confidence notice was to push the BJP into a psychological battle, especially because the ruling party was uncertain about where its allies, such as the Shiv Sena and the Shiromani Akali Dal, stand, according to the Hindustan Times.
“The rule is clear that the Lok Sabha Speaker has to take up the no-confidence notices before any other business,” he told the daily. “The BJP may not like it to happen.”
On Monday, many of the Opposition parties asked their members to allow the House to function so the no-trust motions could be discussed. The Telugu Desam Party asked its MPs to be present in Parliament on Tuesday, while the Telangana Rashtra Samithi asked its lawmakers not to rush to the well of the House, reports said. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has asked his MPs to attend Parliament and demand that a debate takes place.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who is in Delhi to meet Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar, is also considering a no-trust motion against the Centre, The Hindu reported.
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