The Congress-led UPA Government received yet another breather for a day when the no-confidence motion moved by 13 MPs from Andhra Pradesh was again derailed at the admission stage in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Though Speaker Meira Kumar tried to seek leave of the House by ascertaining whether the no-confidence motion had the support of the requisite number of 50 members, the din and disturbances caused by the Opposition members put a brake to her move.
Despite her repeated appeals to the agitating members in the well of the House to go back to their seats and allow her to count the 50 required members supporting it, the SP and BSP members continued their slogan chanting forcing the House to be adjourned for the day. This is the fourth consecutive day the no trust motion failed to be taken up for consideration.
Soon after the House was adjourned, the Seemandhra Congress members besides the TDP and YSRCP members, who had moved the no trust motion alleged that the Congress Party had scripted and orchestrated the disturbance with the help of its allies to prevent the motion coming up in the House. They charged that the Congress party was rattled that the government would fall if the no-trust motion was taken up in the House.
Earlier, as usual soon after both the Houses of parliament commenced their sitting, uproarious scenes were witnessed as the Seemandhra Congress, TPD and YSRCP MPs indulged in slogan shouting in the well of the House for keeping the State united. Members of other Opposition parties too created ruckus on different issues raised by them.
Both the Houses were adjourned for one hour amidst noisy scenes. After they resumed the sitting at 12 noon, the drama continued and led to their adjournment again — Rajya Sabha till 2 pm and the Lok Sabha for the day. However, before adjourning, the Lok Sabha managed to get a number of supplementary bills passed amidst the disturbance.
Meanwhile, confusion prevailed with regard to the A.P. State Reorganization Bill 2013 for the formation of the Telangana State getting the clearance from the President of India. While there were speculations, including in the print and electronic media that the Telangana Bill had reached the State Chief Secretary and it would be forwarded to the Assembly on Thursday, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s statement this morning was contrary to this.
Shinde told the media that the Bill was still lying in Rashtrapathi Bhavan awaiting the clearance of President Pranab Mukherjee. Once the Ministry of Home Affairs received it after the President’s nod, it would be sent to the Assembly, he said and made it clear that the Bill after clearance from Rashtrapathi Bhavan had not yet reached the MHA. (NSS).