Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday allowed a no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against the Narendra Modi government over Manipur violence. The motion was moved by Gaurav Gogoi, Deputy Leader of Congress in the Lower House. Only 13 working days of the Monsoon session remain, and the Lok Sabha Speaker can take up to 10 days to schedule a no-confidence motion debate as per procedure.
Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha also marked the Kargil Vijay Diwas on Wednesday by offering tributes to soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the 1999 Kargil War.
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Lok Sabha
While the Opposition’s no-confidence motion dominated headlines during Wednesday’s Monsoon session proceedings, the government pushed on with its legislative agenda in the Lower House and introduced six Bills.
The House was briefly adjourned soon after it convened as the Opposition continued to demand Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on Manipur violence. Opposition members displayed placards with slogans like “INDIA for Manipur” and raised chants of “we want justice” and “Modi sarkar down, down”.
Once the House reconvened, Mr. Birla informed the MPs about Mr. Gogoi’s motion. Leaders of the Opposition said the no-trust notice is part of their strategy to force Prime Minister Modi to address Parliament over Manipur violence. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi, which is not a part of the INDIA alliance, had also submitted a no-confidence motion notice against the Centre earlier in the day.
Proceedings resumed with debate on the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023. Congress MP Manish Tewari opposed the introduction of the Bill, saying that draft legislation transgresses on the right to privacy and separation of power. The Bill was, however, introduced by a voice vote amid Opposition protests, along with five other Bills. These included the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023; and Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023. All Bills were introduced with a voice vote despite persistent sloganeering by the Opposition.
The Lower House also passed the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, after a rapid half-hour debate, while the Opposition demanded a discussion on the no-confidence motion. The Chair ruled that the Speaker has 10 days to schedule a debate on the motion, and that the House was empowered to conduct legislative business until then.
Rajya Sabha
The Opposition staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, citing no statement by Prime Minister Modi on Manipur violence as the reason for it. The decision was announced by the Leader of Opposition in the Upper House, Mallikarjun Kharge.
Right from the beginning of proceedings for the day, the Opposition trained their guns on the government over Manipur violence issue. The House witnessed loud sloganeering during Question Hour, and proceedings were adjourned multiple times in the day.
Once the Opposition walked out, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda moved the motion to pass The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022. This Bill will include the Hattee community in the Trans-Giri region of Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh in the Scheduled Tribes list of the State. The Bill was passed in the Upper House through a voice vote.
(Compiled by Sindhu Nagaraj, Sumeda, Suchitra Karthikeyan, and Priyali Prakash)
