Monsoon Session LIVE: Shiv Sena to Support Modi Govt During Tomorrow's No-Confidence Motion

BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha on No-confidence motion: I think there are intellectuals in opposition but they should've done it later. Because we have the numbers and our morale is also up. I haven't left BJP & party hasn't left me. As long as I'm in BJP, I'll support it and follow every whip.  

AAP directs MPs to vote in favour of no-confidence motion.

AIADMK hints it may not back no-trust motion: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today hinted his party AIADMK might not back the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government, saying the motion was moved by the TDP over an issue concerning Andhra Pradesh. No party had backed Tamil Nadu on the Cauvery issue when AIADMK lawmakers had stalled the Lok Sabha for nearly three weeks seeking the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC), he said. "You should understand. They (TDP) have moved the no-confidence motion for a problem concerning Andhra Pradesh. When AIADMK MPs from Tamil Nadu stalled Parliament (during the previous session), who did voice (support) for us, who came forward to solve the problems of Cauvery delta farmers?" he asked. "Which state came forward. No state did," he told reporters in Salem in response to a query whether the AIADMK will support the motion. DMK working president M K Stalin, meanwhile, urged the ruling AIADMK which has as many as 37 MPs in the Lok Sabha, to support the no-confidence motion, saying the move is expected to be a "turning point" in Parliamentary democracy.

BJP makes light of Cong's claim of Opposition having numbers to back no-confidence motion against govt | The BJP on Thursday made light of the Congress's claim that the Opposition had the numbers to back its no-confidence motion against the government. Asked about Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's claim that the Opposition had numbers, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar took a dig at her, saying, "Sonia Gandhi's maths is weak." Kumar also recalled that Gandhi, as the then Congress chief in 1999, had claimed to have the support of 272 MPs, the majority mark in the Lok Sabha, after the fall of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government. Echoing similar sentiments, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said the government had the strength in the House to defeat the motion if one went by Indian mathematics and wondered if Sonia Gandhi knew some other mathematics. According to sources in the ruling party, it is confident of getting the support of as many as 314 MPs in the Lok Sabha, when the opposition-backed no-confidence motion is put to vote tomorrow. Going by the estimate of the BJP's floor managers, the government is likely to get the support of smaller parties outside the NDA such as the PMK and the Raju Shetty-led Swabhimani Paksha.

Shiv Sena to Vote in Favour of Modi Govt | Shiv Sena will vote in favour of the BJP-led government during the opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha tomorrow, a source close to party chief Uddhav Thackeray said. "We will support the BJP. A formal announcement may be made by this evening," the source told PTI here today. The motion will be the first since the BJP-led NDA government came to power four years ago. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's decision to accept the motion moved by former BJP ally TDP and others came on the first day of the Monsoon session. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu had sought the support of other parties for the motion, citing the NDA government's "non-fulfilment of the promise" to grant special status to his state.

Shashi Tharoor on why Cong Staged a Walkout | Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said "The Home Minister's statement in Lok Sabha on mob lynching was not satisfactory at all, that is why we staged a walkout from the house. This is not a game of ping-pong that states and Centre keep shifting responsibilities

Shares were muted on Thursday with losses in heavyweights such as Tata Consultancy Services Ltd offsetting gains in consumer stocks including Hindustan Unilever Ltd, a day ahead of a no-confidence motion against the government. The broader NSE Nifty was flat at 10,980.35 as of 0717 GMT while the benchmark BSE Sensex edged up 0.19 percent to 36,441.69. On Friday, parliament will debate a no-confidence motion tabled by opposition parties against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government on Wednesday, the first day of the monsoon session.

Congress staged a walkout from Lok Sabha protesting against Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement on mob lynching incidents.

Monsoon Session: Opposition Raise Slogans Against Jayant Sinha | Opposition members in the Lok Sabha today raised slogans against Civil Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha for garlanding men convicted of lynching a meat trader in Jharkhand. As soon as the minister rose to respond to a question on upgradation of airports during the Question Hour, opposition members started raising slogans. They soon rushed to the Well demanding an apology from the minister. They raised slogans such as "stop garlanding convicts" as Sinha responded to the question. Sinha, however, continued to speak. 

On Day 2 of Parliament's Monsoon Session, Home Minister Rajnath Singh addresses the Lok Sabha on the incidents of mob lynching happening across the Country. "These are unfortunate incidents.We had issued an advisory on this recently, and one in 2016 also. Social media being used to spread fake news and rumours is also a reason. We have asked social sites for regulation." Recently in yet another incident of lynching, a Hyderabad-based software engineer was killed by a mob that fell for WhatsApp rumours of child-lifters lurking in Karnataka’s Bidar district. 28-year-old Mohammad Azam and three of his friends were on their way to visit another friend when they thought of buying chocolates for a few local children, also, they were driving in a car without a number plate. These trifle details brought the young man’s life to an abrupt end on Friday.

Changes will make RTI Act useless: Rahul | Congress President Rahul Gandhi today attacked the BJP government over proposed changes to the Right to Information Act, saying they will render the law useless. The proposed amendments, circulated among Members of Parliament, seeking to do away with the parity given to information commissions with the Election Commission in terms of salary, allowances and conditions of service.  Every Indian deserves to know the truth and the BJP wants to hide the truth. The BJP believes the truth must be hidden from the people and they must not question people in power. The changes proposed to the RTI will make it a useless Act, Gandhi said on Twitter. He added that the changes being suggested must be opposed by every Indian.

Every Indian has the right to know the truth. The BJP believes the truth must be hidden from the people and they must not question people in power. The changes proposed to the RTI will make it a useless Act. They must be opposed by every Indian. #SaveRTI pic.twitter.com/4mjBTwQnYK

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 19, 2018

The government on Wednesday said it is considering a proposal to amend the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 to frame rules on salaries and services of Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners (ICs). A notice of intention was given to introduce 'The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2018' in the Rajya Sabha for consideration and passage during the current session of Parliament, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to Lok Sabha on Wednesday Leaders of various political parties yesterday said they have committed to fight any "attempt" by the Centre to "dilute" the act and oppose any amendments to it.

Chandrababu Naidu appeals MPs, States to support No-Confidence Motion | Telugu Desam Party President & Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu writes a letter to all MPs, states 'In view of the continued adamant attitude of BJP led NDA Govt, TDP has moved No Confidence Motion against them. I appeal to you to support the motion moved by our MPs.' As a former NDA ally, the Telugu Desam Party is well aware that barring any major twist in the next couple of days, the no-confidence motion it moved in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday is unlikely to endanger the Narendra Modi government. Kesineni Srinivas, the TDP parliamentarian who moved the motion, told News18 that the trust vote is less about testing the strength of the BJP government and more about bringing to the fore its failures. 

Shatrughan Sinha to Vote Against No-confidence motion | Bharatiya Janata Party MP Shatrughan Sinha has decided to vote against the No-confidence motion. The Lok Sabha will on Friday debate and vote on the no-confidence motion against the Modi government - the first since the BJP-led NDA came to power four years ago - after the Speaker admitted their notices. The no-trust motion in Parliament that was moved and accepted by Speaker Mahajan for the first time in 15 years, however, does not pose a threat to the government as the NDA enjoys a comfortable majority.  (reports ANI)

Ahead of no-trust vote, Speaker accepts resignation of Jay Panda | The effective strength of Lok Sabha has reduced to 533 with two more seats falling vacant, sources in Parliament told PTI today, after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan accepted BJD MP Baijayant Jay Panda's resignation and Jose K Mani of Kerala Congress (M) was nominated to Rajya Sabha.  Mani quit the lower house after being nominated to Rajya Sabha. The developments come as Parliament is set to take up on Friday the Opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government. Ten seats are lying vacant and therefore the majority mark in the house now stands at 266. Panda, who represented the Kendrapara constituency in Odisha, had resigned on June 12. He met Mahajan on Wednesday and requested her to accept his resignation. Later he tweeted about his meeting with the Speaker. In January this year, the parliamentarian was suspended from the Biju Janata Dal for alleged anti-party activities.

Congress leaders were seen protesting within the premises of Parliament, demanding rights for farmers

Congress MPs protest in Parliament premises, demanding rights for farmers. #MonsoonSession pic.twitter.com/oXqAEA81OF

— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2018

Rahul to address LS Tomorrow During Trust-Vote | Congress President Rahul Gandhi is likely to address Parliament tomorrow during trust vote. Apart from Rahul, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and one more member will address the House. A no-confidence motion was on Wednesday moved against the Narendra Modi government in Lok Sabha and both the TDP and the opposition have expressed confidence that they can muster up the required numbers. While the odds seem to be stacked against the opposition, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi refuted claims that the motion was just a pressure tactic. “Who says we don’t have the numbers,” she shot back when asked about it. The motion that was moved at the insistence of former NDA ally Telugu Desam Party will be put to vote on Friday and the BJP believes that the government will get the support of as many as 314 MPs in the Lok Sabha.

The motion that was moved at the insistence of former NDA ally Telugu Desam Party will be put to vote on Friday and the BJP believes that the government will get the support of as many as 314 MPs in the Lok Sabha.

A TDP delegation led by Parliamentary Party leader YS Chowdary met Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal at his residence, earlier on Monday. They have handed over Andhra Pradesh CM N.Chandrababu Naidu’s letter seeking cooperation and support for TDP’s demand for Andhra. A no-confidence motion was on Wednesday moved against the Narendra Modi government in Lok Sabha and both the TDP and the opposition have expressed confidence that they can muster up the required numbers. While the odds seem to be stacked against the opposition, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi refuted claims that the motion was just a pressure tactic. “Who says we don’t have the numbers,” she shot back when asked about it. 

A TDP delegation led by Parliamentary Party leader YS Chowdary met Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal at his residence, earlier today. They have handed over Andhra Pradesh CM N.Chandrababu Naidu’s letter seeking cooperation and support for TDP’s demand for Andhra. pic.twitter.com/zGfKq6ptc3

— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2018

Sonia's maths is week: Ananth Kumar | Reacting to Sonia Gandhi's claims that who says we don’t have the numbers, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said "Sonia ji's maths is weak. They had calculated similarly in 1996. We know what happened then. Their calculation is wrong yet again. Modi govt has majority both inside & outside Parliament. NDA will vote against NoConfidence Motion." (reports ANI)

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Trust Vote | "In democracy, voice of the Opposition should be heard first even if it consists of one person. Even we (Shiv Sena) will speak when it is required. During voting, whatever Uddav Thakachey directs us, we will do." (reports ANI)

Congress has given adjournment notice in Lok Sabha over the issue of mob lynching.

TDP singled out as opposition parties show keenness for RS to function | The TDP, which was at the forefront of disrupting the Rajya Sabha during the last session Parliament, got singled out on the first day of the Monsoon Session as other opposition parties expressed their keen desire to allow the House to function. The TDP's predicament became evident today during a meeting of leaders called by Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu in his chamber. The meeting was held soon after Naidu adjourned the House when TDP members Y S Chowdary and C M Ramesh insisted on taking up their notice for discussion on implementation of the AP Reorganisation Act. Sources said that in the meeting, several opposition leaders expressed concern over the non- functioning of the House in the last two sessions, the "devaluation of legislators" and other opposition parties missing out on cornering the government over various issues of concern to them.

TDP MP threatens to Skip Trust Vote | The Narendra Modi government is gearing up to face its first no-trust motion in the Lok Sabha during the last year of its office. The motion was moved by TDP MP Kesineni Srinivas. One of TDP's lawmakers has no0w threatened to skip Parliament during the no-confidence vote. JC Diwakar Reddy says he is "fed up" with the Centre and his party's government in Andhra Pradesh. "I'm not going to attend Parliament session, you can say that I violated the party whip. I'm fed up with the centre & our TDP govt. I'm fed up with the whole political system: JC Diwakar Reddy, TDP MP told news agency ANI.

So even if the BJP clears the trust vote, it would be a margin that would surely be less than its 2014 victory. That is, perhaps, where the opposition will draw solace from.

The party had also moved a motion in the previous session but it was blocked by the Speaker and 13 days were lost as opposition parties came together in protest. The reluctance to accept, the MP said, stemmed from the fact that it gives the opposition a platform to raise issues and talk about why it has lost trust in the government. On Wednesday, the Speaker in a U-turn, asked to see if the motion had the support of the minimum 50 parliamentarians to go forward and the number was much higher. The trust vote will be held on Friday.  Coming in the last Parliament session before the Lok Sabha polls next year, it will help the opposition in at least two ways – by setting a common agenda as well as giving a more formal shape to the two sides as those parties on the fence will have to pick one. 

As a former NDA ally, the Telugu Desam Party is well aware that barring any major twist in the next couple of days, the no-confidence motion it moved in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday is unlikely to endanger the Narendra Modi government. And yet, it is celebrating the acceptance of its motion by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan as a success. Kesineni Srinivas, the TDP parliamentarian who moved the motion, told News18 that the trust vote is less about testing the strength of the BJP government and more about bringing to the fore its failures

The letter was signed by Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Jyotiraditya Scindia, CPI(M) leader Mohammad Salim, SP’s Dharmendra Yadav, NCP’s Tariq Anwar, RJD leader Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav, CN Jayadevan of CPI, PK Kunhalikutty of Kerala-based IUML and AAP’s Bhagwant Mann. Speaker Mahajan had last week written to opposition parties expressing concern over the frequent disruptions in Parliament and asked them to introspect while ensuring that the dignity of Parliament was not undermined. The opposition's letter, on the other hand, claims that the BJP bulldozed through the previous Lok Sabha session by not allowing debate on several important bills, “which will have bearing on constitutionally guaranteed rights being converted into virtually 'single-house bills' by way of certifying them as money bills”.

The TDP led by Chandrababu Naidu had quit the ruling NDA earlier this year seeking special category status for Andhra Pradesh. A similar motion on the government by the party could not be taken up earlier as the Budget session was completely washed out. The current strength of the Lok Sabha is 535 and the BJP with 273 MPs has a clear majority in the House along with its allies. Parliamentarians from seven opposition parties had on Tuesday written to Sumitra Mahajan expressing "deep anguish" over the manner in which the BJP allegedly circumvented constitutional norms during the last Parliamentary session.

Narendra Modi government will face its first no-trust motion in the Lok Sabha during the last year of its office. The motion was moved by TDP MP Kesineni Srinivas. The speaker admitted the motion as over 50 opposition party MPs stood in its support. On the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) moved the motion which was admitted by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.