In a sign that the numbers in the Lok Sabha simply do not add up to threaten Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in the no-confidence motion moved by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Opposition parties, including the Congress, on Thursday took the position that the “trust vote isn’t about numbers, but about highlighting how the Modi government has failed to deliver on its promises.”
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, along with the party’s leader in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, will be leading the charge for his party that has been allotted 38 minutes.
Mr. Modi is not only expected to use the televised debate as an opportunity to take the attack to the Opposition camp, but also sound the poll bugle for the 2019 election.
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“Numbers alone are not important for the trust vote, but what are the reasons for the Opposition to bring a no- confidence motion? That’s very important. The government has deceived the people of the country and gone back on its promises,” senior Congress leader Anand Sharma told reporters.
The Opposition parties are expected to raise a number of issues, including corruption, unemployment and the state of the economy, falling rupee, rising fuel prices, women’s security and incidents of lynching.
Of the six-and-half hours allotted to the NCM debate, the BJP will get three-and-a-half hours and the party’s final list of speakers will be cleared by party chief Amit Shah.
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Ahead of Friday’s trust vote, the first since the Modi government came to power four years ago, the strength of the Lok Sabha went down further as Speaker Sumitra Mahajn accepted the resignations of former Biju Janata Dal MP Baijant Panda and Jose K. Mani of the Kerala Congress (M) who has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha. The effective strength of the Lok Sabha is now reduced to 533 and the majority mark is 267. The BJP, on its own, has 273 MPs and the NDA numbers go up to 314 MPs, including Shiv Sena’s 18 members. The party has indicated that it will support the Modi government.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar taunted the Opposition on its claim of numbers. “Soniaji’s math is weak. They [Congress] had calculated similarly in 1996. We know what happened then. The Modi government has the majority both inside and outside Parliament,” he said.
Apart from launching a strong political attack, the debate is also an opportunity for the NDA and the UPA to reach out to political parties and present a united face. And that’s why both the groups are trying to woo parties like the AIADMK (37 MPs), Biju Janata Dal (19 MPs) and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (11MPs).
While the AIADMK and the TRS are not expected to go against the Modi government, sources say the UPA has reached out to the BJD chief and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for his support.
“Look, we are yet to take a call. But if your question is whether we will support the government, it is highly unlikely. There are many issues concerning Odisha and the Central government hasn’t yet addressed them,” BJD MP Kalikesh Singh Deo told The Hindu.
( With inputs from Nistula Hebbar )