The parties are gearing up to debate the no-confidence motion scheduled for Friday with almost all of them issuing whip to their members asking them to be present in the Lok Sabha and vote according to their stated position.
It was also a hectic day for the behind the scene parleys to keep the allies together. The TDP— prime mover of the no-confidence motion—has sought support of the smaller parties to vote against the government.
BJP chief Amit Shah is learnt to have spoken to leaders of the NDA allies to ensure they vote in favour of the government and that all their MPs are present in the house.
Though the numbers are stacked in favour of the government, the debate inside the house would be one of the keenly watched.
Also at test would be the opposition unity, which has been at display since Karnataka Assembly elections.
The sole aim of the debate would be to show how many political parties are against the policies of the government. The opposition would use the debate to hit out at the government over a host of issues ranging from intolerance, lynching, increase in black money in Swiss banks, farmer distress, ill effects of noteban, GST and unemployment.
For the government, it will be an opportunity to highlight the “tenuous” opposition unity, and also list its achievements for the past four years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reply to the debate at the end, before the motion is put to vote.
The debate in the house, 10 years after the trust motion for the then Manmohan Singh government, is likely to bring out some of the best speeches, lively debates and acrimonious exchanges. The outcome of the exercise is more at the perception level. The BJP will use the victory to claim moral endorsement and then go to people to spread the message. The opposition, on the other hand, would want its voice be heard, and expect highlighting some failures of the government.