Monsoon session: Lok Sabha speaker accepts Opposition's no-confidence motion against Centre

synopsis

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday (July 26) accepted the no-confidence motion moved by the Congress on behalf of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) against the Narendra Modi government regarding the situation in Manipur. The motion was moved by Gaurav Gogoi, the deputy leader of the Congress in the Lower House.

The date and time for the motion to be discussed are yet to be decided by the Speaker. Om Birla stated, "I will discuss with the leaders of all parties and inform you of an appropriate time to take this up for discussion."

The decision to move the no-confidence motion came after intense discussions with alliance partners on Tuesday. Speaking about the alliance, Tagore mentioned, "The INDIA alliance is together and this is the idea of the INDIA alliance. The Congress party's leader will be moving the motion. We feel that it is our duty to use this last weapon to break the arrogance of the government and make them speak on Manipur."

The notice for the motion was submitted in the Speaker's office at 9:20 am on Wednesday.

Despite the united efforts of the Opposition, the numbers in the Lok Sabha may not favor a successful no-confidence motion. With the BJP-led NDA commanding over 330 members in the 543-member Assembly, the INDIA with over 140 members, and more than 60 members from parties unaligned to either group, the arithmetic seems to heavily favor the ruling government.

Under Rule 198 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct, any member of the Lok Sabha can move a no-confidence motion. The member must submit a written notice of the motion before 10 am, which will then be read out by the Speaker in the House.

For the motion to be accepted, a minimum of 50 members must support it, and the Speaker will subsequently announce the date for discussion, which must be within 10 days of the motion's acceptance. If the allotted date passes without a discussion, the motion fails, and the member who moved it will be duly informed.

In the event that the government fails to demonstrate its majority during the discussion, it is required to resign. However, given the current composition of the Lok Sabha, this may prove to be an unlikely outcome for the no-confidence motion.