The Left parties, the NCP and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on Monday moved notices of no-confidence against the Centre so that a motion can be discussed in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, who is in Delhi to meet NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, is also considering a no-trust motion against the Centre.
CPI(M) leader P Karunakaran and RSP MP NK Premachandran sent separate notices to the Lok Sabha Secretary-General and requested Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to include the motion in Tuesday’s revised list of business.
The notices moved by the YSR Congress, the TDP and the Congress are pending with the Speaker. Though the Speaker had read out the notices in the House, they could not be taken up as a motion as the House was not in order.
Karunakaran told BusinessLine that the Left had four major issues with the Centre. “This government is against discussions. They have not allowed a discussion even on the Finance Bill. None of the promises of the BJP have been fulfilled. Unemployment rate is the highest. Farmers’ distress has crossed all limits. Prices of essential commodities are rising and the Centre has not done anything,” he added. The Left hopes that adding to the number of no-trust notices will put pressure on the BJP’s allies.
Meanwhile, the Congress said the Centre lied to the people on minimum support price (MSP). “Finance Minister Arun Jaitley lied blatantly in his Budget speech, claiming that the Modi government had already given ‘Cost plus 50 per cent’ as MSP to farmers and will continue to do so in future. If we examine the report of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) for 2018-19 (Rabi Marketing Season) — which forms the basis for determination of MSP of wheat, gram, etc — in March-April, 2018, it is clear that Modi government has not given ‘Cost plus 50 per cent’ as MSP in any crop,” said Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi.