What is No-Confidence Motion in Parliament against the Government?
What is No-Confidence Motion in Parliament against the Government? – The no-confidence motion brought by the opposition against the government was accepted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla earlier today. He promised to consult with the leaders of all parties and make a statement about when the motion will be discussed.
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In the midst of the Opposition’s continuous demonstrations calling for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a statement regarding the situation in Manipur, Congress Party MP Gaurav Gogoi introduced the motion to the House.
The Opposition will introduce a no-confidence resolution in the house, according to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary, the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, who made the announcement to the media on Tuesday, July 25.
According to news agency ANI, Chowdhary stated, “Today, it has been decided that we would have no other alternative but to resort to a no-confidence motion because the government is not accepting the demand of the opposition to have an in-depth discussion with the Prime Minister on Manipur.” As our leader in the parliament, he “should make a statement on the violence in Manipur,” he continued.
What is No-Confidence Motion?
A government can only hold power in a parliamentary democracy if it has a majority in the directly elected House. This principle is embodied in our Constitution’s Article 75(3), which states that the Council of Ministers is jointly accountable to the Lok Sabha.
The Lok Sabha’s rules offer a specific mechanism—a motion of no-confidence—for evaluating this collective responsibility. A resolution of no-confidence against the Council of Ministers may be introduced at any moment by any member of the Lok Sabha who can secure the support of 50 of their peers.
After that, there is a discussion over the motion. The Treasury Benches respond to the concerns raised by the MPs who support the motion by pointing out the weaknesses of the government. The proposal is then put to a vote; if it passes, the government is obligated to resign. A motion of no confidence may only be introduced in the Lok Sabha.
Does the government need to worry?
No, the NDA administration presently consists of 331 members, with the BJP alone possessing 303 MPs, despite the majority threshold at the Lok Sabha being 272. This indicates that the BJP still has the necessary support to survive a motion of no confidence, even if all non-NDA parties band together (which is extremely improbable). While ‘neutral’ parties like the BRS, YSRCP, and the BJD have a combined strength of 70 MPs, the newly dubbed INDIA alliance has 144 MPs.
The no confidence motion, however, has historically been employed as a tactical instrument to compel discussion on a particular subject or issue. Despite being aware that it lacks the necessary number of votes, the opposition has nonetheless introduced the resolution to compel the administration to address its concerns regarding the situation in Manipur.
How many motions for lack of confidence have been filed in the past?
The first motion of no confidence against the Jawaharlal Nehru-led administration was introduced by Acharya J. B. Kripalani in the third Lok Sabha of 1963. There were 40 MPs present for the whole four-day, 21-hour debate on the resolution.
“A no-confidence motion aims at or should aim at removing the party in government and taking its place,” Nehru said in response. In this case, it is obvious that no such expectation or hope existed. Thus, the debate was somewhat fictitious even if it was fascinating in many ways and, in my opinion, profitable as well. I’ve personally welcomed both the motion and the discussion. I’ve thought it might be beneficial.
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