India’s main opposition Congress Party moved a no-confidence motion against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Lok Sabha (lower house of the Parliament) on Wednesday over the Manipur issue.
The motion was presented by Congress parliamentarian Gaurav Gogoi while a separate no-confidence notice was submitted by Telangana-ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) floor leader Nageshwar Rao.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accepted the motion, saying that the date for debate will be announced soon.
This is not the first time that the opposition has moved a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi government. The first no-confidence motion was moved in 2018, at which the government scored a thumping win with 325 parliamentarians voting against the motion and only 126 supporting it.
For his part, Communist Party of India (CPI) parliamentarian Binoy Viswam said that this latest motion looks to spur the government to visit the Parliament.
“It's a political move which will bring results [...]The no-confidence motion will compel him (Modi) to come to the Parliament. We need a discussion on the issues of the country, especially on Manipur, inside the Parliament. Forget the numbers, they know the numbers and we know the numbers,” he added.
Meanwhile, Congress politician Manickam Tagore said that the INDIA opposition bloc was forced to move the motion against the government in the Lok Sabha as “it was the last weapon”.
Reacting to the motion, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi claimed that people have confidence in PM Modi and the BJP.
“They brought a no-confidence motion in the last term as well. People of this country taught them a lesson,” he added.
The proceedings of the parliament began in the morning but soon both the Houses were adjourned as the opposition continued to raise its demand that Modi should make a statement over Manipur.
However, the government has proposed that it would hold a discussion and federal Home Minister Amit Shah will speak on the issue.