Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will open the debate on Tuesday over the no-confidence motion against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led federal government in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament).
Apart from Gandhi, other speakers from the Congress party that will be attending are Gaurav Gogoi and Manish Tewari.
While talking to the media, Gogoi said: “We look forward to what Rahul Gandhi has to say. He has visited Manipur and in the meantime, he has met with the cross sections of Indian society. He knows the state of the economy and the ground situation in Manipur. So, he has a very valuable perspective which we all look forward to hear[ing].”
This will be Gandhi's first speech in the legislative body after 7 February this year, whereupon he was later disqualified as an MP after his conviction by a Gujarat court in March. However, the Supreme Court of India last week stayed his conviction and he was reinstated as a member of the Parliament.
How's That No-Confidence Motion Progressing?
The no-confidence motion will be up for debate in the Parliament starting today, and it will be answered on Wednesday, while voting will run on Thursday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to answer the motion on the last day.
However, going by the numbers, the BJP is likely to sail through the no-confidence motion as nearly 366 members already having pledged their support while the opposition bloc’s tally will reach only 152 members with the support of the Telangana-ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
The motion is seen as a tactic by the opposition to compel the PM to speak about strife-torn Manipur.
The Monsoon Session of the Parliament since it began on July 20 has been witnessing disruptions over the violence in Manipur, since the opposition has been demanding a discussion on it and a statement from Prime Minister Modi.
The session has been continuously disrupted despite the federal government's assurance to focus on the violence in Manipur.