Govt confident of defeating no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha, BJP issues whip to MPs

The government on Wednesday said it was sure that the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition on the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament would be defeated.

“We are ready to give a befitting reply to the opposition on the no-confidence motion. We are 100 per cent confident of defeating it. The NDA is united and would vote against the motion,” Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan accepted the notice for a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday. The Lok Sabha will debate and vote on the motion on Friday.

A Press Trust of India report, citing unnamed sources, said the BJP believes that the government will get the support of as many as 314 MPs in the Lok Sabha.

The report says according to the estimate by the party’s floor managers, the government is likely to get support from small parties outside the ruling National Democratic Alliance such as Anbumani Ramadoss-led PMK and Raju Shetty-led Swabhimani Paksha.

Although Shetty and Ramadoss are no longer members of the NDA, the government believes that they would support it during the vote on the motion, the report added.

In a House of 535 members, the ruling NDA has 313 members in the Lok Sabha, including 274 (including the Speaker) of BJP, 18 of Shiv Sena, six LJP and four SAD. The stated strength of the Opposition is 222, including 63 of the Congress-led UPA, 37 of AIADMK, 34 of TMC, 20 BJD, 16 TDP and 11 TRS.

The BJP, neanwhile, issued a whip to all its Lok Sabha members.

“I have issued a three line whip requesting all BJP Lok Sabha MP’s to be present positively in the House on July 19 and 20,” BJP Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha Anurag Thakur tweeted.

The opposition Congress and Trinamool Congress too have issued a whip to their members.

On being asked about oppositions shortfall numbers to pass the no-confidence vote, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament, “Who says we don’t have the numbers?”

Raising questions over the opposition’s intention behind bringing the no confidence motion, Kumar, however, said that it was their “democratic right”.

“The opposition will again raise those issue which they have been raising. They will again spread lies about the government. We are ready to give answer of each question. It will provide us an opportunity to inform the people about the achievements of the government.

“We will put the welfare schemes and development projects carried out by the government in last four years before the people,” he said.

He said that NDA is united and vote against the motion.

“We are running a government of full majority. The NDA is having governments in 21 states. People of the country have rejected them in every election held in last four years and have shown full confidence over the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” said Ananth Kumar.