New Delhi: The Opposition parties on Tuesday found a novel method to convey that they have enough numbers to initiate the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government as both houses of Parliament were once again adjourned amid noisy protests by AIADMK and TRS.
Members of the Congress, Left and some other parties displayed blue-coloured placards, each with a circled number - from 1 to 80 - along with the words 'For no-confidence' written on them. At least 50 members need to support a no-confidence notice for the House to accept it and start a debate.
Along with the Congress and Left, six parties, including two from Andhra Pradesh – TDP and YSR Congress – have given notices to Lok Sabha to submit no-confidence motions. But they have not been taken up due to the adjournments.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan told the House that she has received the notices for no-confidence motion from members of various parties and added that she was duty-bound to take them up. However, she decided not to take up the notices saying the House was not in order. Unless the House is in order, "I will not be in a position" to take up notices, Mahajan said and requested the protesting members to return to their seats.
Tuesday was the 16th straight day that the House has failed to transact any business in the second leg of the budget session of Parliament. Amid the din, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the government was ready for any discussion and sought to blame the Congress for the proceedings not moving ahead.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge blamed the government for the impasse, saying it does not want discussion on the issue and asserted, "we are ready for discussion."
He said the AIADMK protest was a "government-sponsored agitation" and it was the government that was instigating AIADMK to create ruckus so that the no-confidence motion can't be taken up. "The Speaker was claiming that she could not count members as there was ruckus in the well. Today, for her convenience we got placards showing the strength of 80 MPs. If the no-confidence motion is taken up, the government will be exposed and it will hurt its image as several issues like foreign and economic policies will be taken up," he said.
But the Tamil Nadu party made it clear that they won’t allow any business till PM Narendra Modi, who was seated in the Rajya Sabha, gives an assurance that a Cauvery Management Board will be formed. AIADMK MPs told CNN-News18 that they are hopeful that government will form a Cauvery Managemnt board and, therefore, they don't want to do anything that will antagonise the union government.
"We are fighting for the right of Tamils to drinking water. Hopeful that union government will intervene in some manner before the deadline to form the board," an MP said.
AIADMK and Congress members also got into heated exchanges even after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day, apparently over remarks by Congress MP KC Venugopal that the Tamil Nadu party was "match fixing with the BJP" in not allowing the House to function and taking up the no-confidence motion.
This angered AIADMK so much that its MPs charged towards Kharge and Venugopal. Sonia Gandhi, who was sitting in the front row, was almost roughed up before Gaurav Gogoi and others formed a ring around her. Intervention from TMC, RJD and other MPs ensured that the fight didn't become uglier.
Shashi Tharoor tweeted soon after, "It's a bit rich for the AIADMK, given its relationship w/the Central Govt, to claim to be so angry that it must disrupt Parliament for 15 days. If the BJP has defrauded them too why don't they join our motion of no-confidence and permit a debate, rather than saving the Govt's skin."
The Rajya Sabha, which was adjourned for the day about 20 minutes after it had assembled, also saw a unique protest by opposition parties, whose members remained seated for over 30 minutes even after Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu called it a day and left the House. Due to the protests, it was not able to bid farewell to 40 retiring MPs on Tuesday.
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