YSR Congress moves a no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha against Modi govt

The YSR Congress Party on Thursday moved a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha against the Narendra Modi government. The no-confidence motion can be accepted only if it has the support of at least 50 members in the House. The YSR Congress has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha. It has appealed to other opposition parties to support the motion. If accepted, it will be the first no-confidence motion moved, the first of this government’s tenure. There is, however, little danger to the government even if the motion is accepted as the Bharatiya Janata Party has a majority in the Lok Sabha, despite the recent losses in by-elections, and also the support of allies, including the Shiv Sena, Janata Dal (United), Shiromani Akali Dal and others.

The BJP currently has 274 members, excluding the Speaker. In Parliament, while the Rajya Sabha couldn’t transact any business because of disruptions, and couldn’t take up the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bills, the Lok Sabha passed two Bills amid din and without discussion — Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill and Specific Relief (Amendment) Bill. Opposition members tore papers and threw them around in the Lok Sabha as relentless protests by them and NDA partner Telugu Desam Party (TDP) disrupted proceedings. Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien said the government was “murdering Parliament”. In this BJP regime, only nine out of 74 Bills passed have been scrutinised by a committee. In contrast, from 2009 to 2014, 66 out of 116 Bills were scrutinized by parliamentary committees, he said. While the YS Jaganmohan Reddy-led party sought support from all opposition parties, its move could force rival Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to take a decision on whether it will support the motion or not.