BJD, AIADMK to skip no-confidence motion against Modi govt?

Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Tamil Nadu's ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) are likely to abstain from no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

New Delhi, July 19: As the nation is waiting with bated breath on the outcome of Friday's no-confidence motion against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance government (NDA) government at the Centre in the Lok Sabha, reports indicate that Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Tamil Nadu's ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) are likely to abstain from the whole exercise.

While the BJD has 20 MPs in the Lok Sabha, the AIADMK has 37. The BJP has a total of 272 MPs, including the speaker in the 543-member Lower House of Parliament. Thus the numbers are in favour of the BJP and its allies and the Opposition is likely to lose the trust vote.

The BJP's allies like the Shiv Sena, the Akali Dal, Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party, Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) will be backing the ruling party at the Centre against the trust vote moved by several opposition parties.

Just a day before the no-confidence motion, an MP from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)--the political party which has been trying to move the no-confidence motion against the BJP government since the previous budget session and has been finally accepted on the first day of monsoon session of Parliament on Wednesday--on Thursday decided to skip the proceedings in the Lok Sabha.

The TDP has been supported by 50 lawmakers from various opposition parties--including those from the Congress--to push for the no-confidence motion against the BJP government.

The ruling Andhra Pradesh party moved the no-confidence motion against the Centre as it did not fulfil its demand of granting special status to the southern state. Earlier this year, the TDP left the ruling NDA over the same issue.

Although the numbers are in favour of the ruling alliance government, the Opposition is feeling "triumphant" that the no-confidence motion has been accepted which will help the anti-BJP forces to highlight the failures of the ruling regime.

It has after 15 years that a ruling party at the Centre is going to face a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha. Former Congress president and chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance Sonia Gandhi expressed confidence of winning the no-confidence motion. When questioned about the numbers in the House, she said "Who says we don't have the numbers".