In ominous signs for the monsoon session of parliament that begins on Wednesday, the opposition parties have decided to bring a no confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government.
This clearly indicates that the opposition is keen to corner the government in the session. The decision to bring a no confidence motion against the ruling dispensation also casts strong doubts on whether the parliament will function as the battle lines are now clearly drawn between the two sides.
With the 2019 Lok Sabha polls round the corner , the opposition can be expected to get into election mode and try to take on the Modi government on its “failures”.
“We have all decided that we need to bring a no confidence motion against the government. All the issues that we want to raise will be incorporated in that,” said Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress' leader in the Lok Sabha.
Kharge said they would also demand for the special status for Andhra Pradesh.
Among the issues shortlisted by the opposition parties for discussion in the coming session are the growing incidence of lynching, unemployment, farm distress, safety of women, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the changes brought about by the Supreme Court in the SC/ST Act, change in the reservation policy for autonomous institutions and price rise, especially the increase in rates of petrol and diesel.
Leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said that in the all-party meeting called by the government on Wednesday ahead of the session, he charged the Modi regime with deliberately raking up contentious issues to divert attention from its failures, which the opposition parties want to take up.
“I said in the meeting that the government is deliberately trying to divert attention from the issues agitating the people,” Azad said. He also accused the government of lacking will to allow parliament to function.
“I had said in the previous session also that the Congress was not a party to the disruption of parliament. It was being done by parties friendly to the government,” he said.
During the last budget session, the opposition parties had for days on end given notices for a no confidence motion against the government. However, they could not be taken up in the face of continuous disruption of the Lok Sabha by parties such as the AIADMK and the TRS.
Meanwhile, addressing the all-party meeting on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that government gave huge importance to the issues raised by the parties, and urged them to collectively strive to create a constructive atmosphere during monsoon session. Floor leaders of parties in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha attended the meeting. Later, separate meetings were also called by the speaker and the chairman of Rajya Sabha.
The government, in a statement, claimed that a host of issues were brought up by the leaders of parties during the meeting. “There was a consensus across party lines on ensuring smooth functioning of the parliament without disruptions and deadlocks to be resolved through constructive discussions in both the Houses,” the statement added.
TDP MP Srinivas Kesineni said he had written to the Lok Sabha secretary general and given a notice to include no-confidence motion against the council of ministers, in the list of business for Wednesday.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh said he had raised the issue of Delhi government being “not allowed” to work. “After hearing everyone's issues, the PM said all issues would be addressed on the floor of the house in monsoon session,” Singh said.
Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar, briefing media persons, said that the government had requested all parties, especially the opposition, for their co-operation for the smooth functioning of the House.
“The people of India want the parliament to function. The government calls for cooperation from all parties in country's interest,” he said. The minister informed that all parties were in favour of a productive monsoon session.
The government was always ready to discuss on the floor of the house any issue as permitted under Rules of Procedure, Kumar said and added that the government would leave no stone unturned to facilitate smooth functioning of the parliament.