TDP, YSR Cong to pitch no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha against Govt today
New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP), once the BJP's biggest ally in south, and YSR Congress, which snapped ties with National Democratic Alliance (NDA) last week will pitch for a no-confidence motion against the government in Lok Sabha today.
Chandrababu Naidu sent a notice after his arch-rival YSR’s Jagan Mohan Reddy demanded a trust vote.
The TDP has 15 members and the YSR Congress eight. Together, they have 23 members in total, less than half the numbers required.
The Left and Congress have already said it would support the motion.
The TDP has been on the warpath since the Union Budget was tabled in the Parliament on February 1, saying they have received little in budget presented by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
TDP has been unhappy since the demand for special category status for Andhra Pradesh - promised by the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh during the bifurcation of Telangana in 2014 -- was turned down by the government.
YV Subba Reddy of the YSR Congress has written to the Lok Sabha secretariat to put his notice for the motion in the revised list of business for Monday.
The TDP has also moved a notice for a no-confidence motion.
Once a no-confidence motion notice is moved in the Lok Sabha, support of at least 50 Members of Parliament (MPs) is needed to admit the motion, which is then followed by voting.
When their notices were not taken up last week, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar had argued that they could not be due to the House being not in order, with members of several parties raising slogans in the Well.
With the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and the AIADMK, which have often cooperated with the government on its legislative business, protesting over a host of issues, it remains uncertain if order is restored.
While the first two weeks of the last phase of the Budget Session have been a virtual washout, the government has managed to get some key bills and the budget passed amid a din through a voice vote without a debate.
The YSR Congress was the first to give a notice last week for a no-trust motion after the Centre made it clear that it would not grant Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh.
Not to be outdone by its main rival in the state, the TDP, a longtime BJP ally, then decided to break its ties over the issue and brought a no-confidence motion of its own.
Both parties have been lobbying with opposition parties for support to their respective notices.
The government has expressed confidence that the notices, even if they are admitted, will be defeated given its strength in the Lok Sabha.
The current strength of the Lok Sabha is 539 and the ruling BJP has 274 members, more than the majority mark of 270, and enjoys the support of several allies.
With the 16-member TDP quitting the BJP-led NDA, the ruling alliance strength has reduced.
