No-trust motion debate on August 8, opposition walks out of BAC meet

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha will debate the no-confidence between August 8 and 10 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to reply to the opposition-sponsored move on the last day.

The decision was taken at the Lok Sabha's business advisory committee (BAC) meeting as constituents of the INDIA alliance walked out in protest of the debate not being taken up on priority.

"The debate on the no-confidence motion will begin on August 8 and continue till August 10 when the prime minister will reply to the debate," a senior leader said.

The opposition bloc INDIA with the Congress, DMK, Left parties and the TMC, as well as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, demanded that the House take up the motion immediately and protested the government pushing through its legislative agenda this week.

The government has insisted that there are no rules or precedence which make it mandatory for the House to take up the no-confidence motion immediately. It has argued that rules state the motion should be taken up for discussion within 10 working days of being admitted.

Congress whip in the Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore said the Lok Sabha was adjourned after the opposition parties of the INDIA alliance demanded the presence of Prime Minister Modi in the House and that he makes a statement on the Manipur issue.

He said the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of Lok Sabha was held at noon, during which the constituents of the INDIA alliance demanded that the no-confidence motion be brought up immediately.

"We wanted that the no-confidence motion be taken up tomorrow itself," Tagore said.

The Congress leader said that in the 16th Lok Sabha when the TDP moved a no-confidence motion, it was listed the next day. "Therefore, the delay is not proper. In protest, the INDIA alliance partners walked out of the speaker's business advisory committee of the Lok Sabha," he said.

DMK leader T R Balu said they walked out of the business advisory committee meeting as the government wanted them to endorse its decision to start a discussion on the no-confidence motion on August 8.

The opposition leaders have been citing Lok Sabha precedence and rules that the no-confidence motion be taken up first after setting aside all other government business. The motion was moved by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla admitted it on July 26.