The Congress on Wednesday gave a notice on moving a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi-led central government in the Lok Sabha over the ruling dispensation's "silence" on the Manipur issue.
Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi will move the motion, party's whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore told PTI.
Although the decision to move the no-confidence motion is that of the united Opposition, Gogoi, who is an MP from Assam, will move the motion, he said.
"The INDIA alliance is together and this is the idea of the INDIA alliance. 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," Tagore asserted.
He said the notice for the motion was submitted in the Speaker's office at 9.20 am on Wednesday.
BRS MP Nama Nageshwar Rao also submitted a notice to move a no-confidence motion against the Union Council of Ministers. The K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is not a part of the INDIA alliance.
The alliance of 26 Opposition parties, INDIA, had decided to move the motion in order to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak in Parliament on the Manipur violence, senior leaders of the front said.
The Congress earlier also issued a whip in the Lower House of Parliament for its members to be present in its parliamentary office by 10.30 am on Wednesday to "discuss some important issues".
Although the no-confidence motion by Opposition parties is bound to fail the numbers test, the parties argue that they will win the battle of perception by cornering the government on the Manipur issue during the debate.
They contend that it is also a strategy to make the Prime Minister speak in Parliament on the crucial matter even as the government has been insisting that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will reply to the debate on the Manipur situation.
Earlier in the day, the Opposition parties met at the chamber of the Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to chalk out the future course of action.
If the Speaker admits the motion, this will be the second no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government. The first one was moved by the TDP in 2018 over the non-allocation of adequate funds for the successor state of Andhra Pradesh and backed by the Opposition parties. The government sailed through the vote and is unlikely to be worried on the number front this time either.
Under Rule 198, the written notice of such a motion has to be submitted before 10am to the secretary-general of the Lok Sabha if it is to be taken up by the Speaker that very day provided it is in order.
If the Speaker is of the view that the motion is in order, he will read it in the House and request members to rise in support of it. If 50 members rise in support, the motion is allowed to be taken up on a date specified by the Speaker. The motion has to be taken up within 10 days from the day it is accepted.
Invoking Rule 198 of the Lok Sabha Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business was discussed at a meeting called by the leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Tuesday morning.
“It is the last instrument that the Opposition has to make the Prime Minister speak in the Lok Sabha,” a Congress MP said.
The motion was finalised late in the evening as the coalition was awaiting the green signal from all constituent parties, some of which had to refer the matter to their respective leaders. The Congress has issued a three-line whip asking all its Lok Sabha MPs to be present in the Congress parliamentary party office at 10.30 on Wednesday morning.
