By Sanjay Behera
In an intEresting development Chandrababu Naidu led ‘TDP’ not only says no to Narendra Modi to continue as an ally of ‘NDA’ but also supports ‘YSR Congress’ to move no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha.
Speculations are over as the Telugu Desam (TDP) Party is now ready to move the no confidence motion against the Naremdra Modi led BJP government at the Centre on Monday. The move could not be done as there a rukus in the house and it had to be adjourned till Monday. However, the BJP is confident that it has the numbers to counter the move by the TDP and the opposition members.
It may be noted here that the TDP, which has 16 MPs quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre a week after two of its representatives left the Narendra Modi government and a day after the YSR Congress moved a no-trust motion against the Modi government.
The N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP and the YSR Congress are extremely unhappy that the Centre has not given special status to Andhra Pradesh. The TDP pulling out of the NDA coalition hasn’t come as a complete surprise, considering two TDP members quit the Narendra Modi ministry in Delhi on March 8.
TDP’s decision to quit the NDA was taken unanimously by the party politburo. The BJP has 275 MPs in the Lok Sabha, including two nominated MPs.
The Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday announced support for a no-trust motion against the Centre moved by YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy. The no-trust motion was moved against the Modi government over its refusal to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh. It’s the first such move in the tenure of the NDA government
TDP and YSR Congress have been agitating in both Houses over the special status demand and the former has even pulled its ministers out of the Central government.
YSR Congress MP Y V Subba Reddy gave the notice to the Lok Sabha secretariat for including the motion in Friday’s list of business. Government sources said the notice would need to be examined but would not make much headway unless a significant section of the opposition supported it. A party needs 50 MPs to move the motion and the TDP and YSR combine claim that the numbers are more than 50 with Congress and the Left parties supporting the move.
Jaganmohan Reddy said that if the Centre remained reluctant to grant special category status to the state, then all MPs of his party will resign on April 6.
A day after YSR Congress gave notice to move a no-confidence motion against the BJP-led NDA government, its rival in Andhra Pradesh and an ally of BJP, TDP, today announced that the party will be quitting the alliance at the Centre.
GVL Narasimha Rao of the BJP said that the TDP is scared and his party will repeat the performance like Tripura and rout the regional party out of Andhra Pradesh.
Terming the TDP’s decision a “win for democracy”, Jagan Mohan Reddy asserted his party would continue to fight for Special Category Status (SCS) for Andhra Pradesh.
“After 4 years of relentless struggle and fight by YSRCP with people’s support for Special Category Status; finally the nation, including @ncbn’s TDP wakes up!” Jagan said in a tweet.
He said that even if guided by political compulsion, the TDP had to yet again follow the YSRCP’s lead of moving a no-confidence motion against the Centre for not granting SCS to the state.
“Win for democracy & people of AP. YSRCP will continue to fight for SCS, the rights of the people of AP,” Reddy, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh, said in another tweet.
The YSRC had on Thursday issued a notice to the Lok Sabha Secretary-General for moving a no-confidence motion against the NDA government.
It said that this was for failing to implement the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, and also the promises made in Rajya Sabha by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, including grant of special status.
Initially, the main opposition party in Andhra Pradesh wanted to move the motion on March 21, but with indications that the Lok Sabha may be adjourned sine die ahead of schedule, it decided to move the motion today.
The TDP, which last evening announced support for the no-confidence motion, today decided to move a motion on its own.
“Supporting a no-confidence motion moved by a thieves’ party (YSRC) will send wrong signals to the people. Hence, we should move a motion on our own,” TDP president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu told his party leaders via a tele-conference.
“YSRC’s notice (for a no-trust motion) will have only five signatures whereas we have 16. It will be easy for us to muster support of 51 MPs (required for the motion to be taken up),” Chandrababu said.
He alleged that the BJP was enacting a “drama” through Jagan and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan.
“You move a no-confidence motion and make your MPs resign. We will grant SCS and make believe it happened only because of you. That’s the BJP drama through Jagan,” the chief minister alleged.
The TDP chief said that the BJP was enacting “another drama” through Kalyan by asking him to launch a fast-unto-death.
Here is a look at the numbers of the NDA alliance, sans two of its biggest supporters in the alliance.
– The YSR Congress has nine MPs in Lok Sabha, while the TDP has 16 MPs in Lok Sabha.
– The BJP alone has 275 members, including two nominated members, in the 536-member Lok Sabha and is supported by 56 members of the allies.
– The no-confidence motion can be accepted only if it has the support of at least 50 members in the House.
– Even if all the MPs from both the parties, TDP and YSR, support the no-confidence motion, the government will still have big numerical advantage in the House.
-Andhra Pradesh’s TDP today quit the NDA government at the Centre a week after two of its ministers resigned from the Union cabinet over the issue of special status for Andhra Pradesh.
-On Thursday, YSR Congress gave a notice to pass no-confidence motion against the NDA government.
The no-confidence motion, first against the NDA since it came into power in 2014, is expected to be moved on March 21.
-YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy has written to leaders of various parties seeking their support for the motion. In the letter, he has asserted that if the Centre remains reluctant to grant the special category status to the state then all MPs of his party will resign on April 6.
TDP MP Thota Narasimham told that his party will also support the motion. The YSR Congress is the main challenger to the TDP in the state.
-Following the loss of two Lok Sabha seats in the UP bypolls, the BJP’s tally in the House has been reduced to 275, only six more than the half-way mark of 269 in the 536-member House. It won an absolute majority in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls with 282 seats.
