Opposition parties backs YSR Cong, TDP no-trust move

Shemin Joy, DH News Service, New Delhi Mar 17 2018, 2:12 IST
New Delhi: TDP member N Sivaprasad with other party leaders raise slogans demanding special status for the state of Andhra Pradesh during the budget session of Parliament in New Delhi on Monday.PTI Photo by Shahbaz Khan(PTI3_12_2018_000037B)

New Delhi: TDP member N Sivaprasad with other party leaders raise slogans demanding special status for the state of Andhra Pradesh during the budget session of Parliament in New Delhi on Monday.PTI Photo by Shahbaz Khan(PTI3_12_2018_000037B)

At least a dozen Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Left parties, on Friday pledged support for no-confidence motions moved by the TDP and YSR Congress against the Narendra Modi-led government over the special status to Andhra Pradesh.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan could not proceed with the procedure on taking up the no-trust motion citing din in the House. YSR Congress has given a fresh notice for considering the motion on Monday.

The motion was passed after the TDP pulled out of the NDA government.

The motion, in all probability, will be defeated in the Lok Sabha once it is taken up but the Opposition does not want to lose out on the optics surrounding it to pin the BJP-led NDA down with just a year left for Lok Sabha elections.

The Modi government has the support of at least 315 MPs, including 18 from Shiv Sena, in a House of 545. BJP alone has 274 MPs, two more than the half-way mark.

Though the TDP had on Thursday announced its support to YSR Congress' no-confidence motion, it changed its stand on Friday morning soon after its chief N Chandrababu Naidu announced the decision to withdraw support to NDA and filed a separate motion. The reason they claimed was that they do not trust the Y S Jaganmohan Reddy-led party, as they were found hobnobbing with the BJP.

Another party from the region, TRS, refused to join the bandwagon, saying both the parties were playing politics and they would not support the motion though they supported the demand for Andhra Pradesh's special status.

"We have no confidence in their (YSR Congress) motion, so we have decided to go on our own. If it is not taken up today, on Monday we will get signatures from 54 MPs from other parties and push for a no-confidence motion," TDP MP C M Ramesh said.

The motion can be accepted only if it has the support of at least 50 members in the House and they would need support from other parties as the TDP has just 16 and YSR Congress nine MPs in the Lok Sabha.

Leaders from the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, BSP, NCP, CPM, CPI, RJD, RSP, Muslim League and AIMIM among others said they would support the motion. Parties like Kerala Congress (Mani), National Conference, AIDUF and other smaller opposition parties are also expected to join them.

AIADMK, however, said it has not taken a decision so far.