The Opposition and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Monday blamed the All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) for stalling a no-confidence motion moved against the government in the Lok Sabha.
The two parties, however, have insisted that they will continue their protests even as hopes for a debate fade.
For the second day running, the no-confidence motion moved by the TDP and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) could not be taken up because of protests by the AIADMK, which has 37 MPs, and the TRS with 11 MPs.
‘Mockery of democracy’
“I cannot show you any proof, but definitely it looks like a concerted effort. We are investigating it. BJP has made a mockery of democracy; they are trying to stall debate in Lok Sabha by encouraging these protests,” former Minister and Parliamentary Party head of TDP Y.S. Chowdary said.
The TDP boycotted the Speaker’s lunch organised on the occasion of the Gudi Padwa, protesting her decision not to take up the debate.
The YSRCP blamed the BJP’s machinations rather than the protests. “We can’t blame AIADMK or TRS directly, because they too are protesting for people’s issues. We pleaded with both parties today [Monday] to give us merely 10 minutes so that the motion can be moved,” Ongole MP Y.V. Subba Reddy said.
Mr. Reddy questioned the reasoning that the no-confidence motion could not be taken up because of lack of order in the House.
“Didn’t the government clear the Union Budget in greater din? There are only handful of TRS and AIADMK MPs in the well; the Finance Bill was cleared when more than 100 MPs were protesting,” Mr. Reddy said.
The AIADMK and the TRS rejected the allegations and said that they would continue with their protests.
“Parliament can’t function according to TDP’s whims and fancies. They decide to pull out of government at their wish, then they took their own time to exit the NDA. We can’t work according to their timeline. We are only concerned with demands of our own people,” Jitender Reddy, floor leader for the TRS in the Lok Sabha, said.
DMK for debate
Even as the AIADMK is continuing protests demanding the setting up of the Cauvery Management Board, the DMK has called for a halt to the protests for the debate on the no-confidence motion.
DMK working President M.K. Stalin appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to support the motion.
“The TDP had been in government for four years — what did they do to help our cause? We can ask a counter-question, ‘why are the Congress and other parties not supporting an issue that affects hundreds of Tamil Nadu farmers?’ We will not stop our protests for the no-confidence motion unless government constitutes the Cauvery Management Board,” Tiruvallur MP P. Venugopal said.
