This no-confidence business against the Modi Government has become something of a joke. First, YSR Congress submitted the motion to be placed in the Lok Sabha, then the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) brought in its own version. Now the AIADMK too has expressed its willingness to move a no-confidence motion provided the Congress supports it. Interestingly, these are the very regional parties which held up the proceedings of the Lok Sabha and did not allow the right atmosphere for the no-trust motions submitted to the Speaker, to be taken up. Matters have been made further confusing by the differing reasons offered by these parties for expressing lack of faith in the Modi regime.
For YSR Congress and TDP, it is to do with the Union Government’s refusal to grant special category status for Andhra Pradesh; for the AIADMK, it will be the Centre’s failure to constitute the Cauvery Management Board. There is, therefore, no commonality of purpose. In the midst of all these, the Congress, which is the single largest opposition party, continues to ride piggyback on the regional parties’ discontent. While its accusation against the Modi Government are the most comprehensive and not limited to local issues — failure to protect farmers’ interests, failure to clamp down on those accused of financial crimes and complicity in allowing them to flee the country, failure to ensure communal harmony, failure to establish clear foreign policies on China and Pakistan, etc — the Congress has not yet sought to move its own no-confidence motion.
Like the Congress, the Left Front too is seeking to make hay while the sun shines. The opposition parties have accused the treasury bench of blocking efforts in Parliament to allow the presentation of the non-trust move, but why would the Government do that when it has the numbers to sail through? It is alleged that the Modi regime is afraid of a debate because it would be exposed in the process. By the same logic, the opposition parties too are fearful that their designs would be exposed to the people in the course of such a debate. After all, what have they to say except display their anti-Modi venom?
These various demands for no-trust motions are also seen as the rise of a united opposition in the making. Well, if they cannot even unite on a single no-confidence motion, then all is not well in the opposition camp. The Congress is hoping that it will be in a stronger position to take the lead if it wins the coming Karnataka Assembly election. But what if it loses?
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