Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi on July 26 moved the no-confidence motion against the central government on the Manipur issue.
"The INDIA alliance is together and this is the idea of the INDIA alliance. Congress party's leader will be moving the motion. We feel that it is our duty to use this last weapon to break the arrogance of the government and make them speak on Manipur," the party's whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore said.
"We wanted to break the arrogance of Mr Modi. He is behaving as an arrogant person - not to come to the Parliament and make a statement on Manipur," Tagore told ANI.
Opposition leaders said the INDIA alliance moved the no-confidence motion to break the arrogance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is not addressing the Manipur issue in Parliament.
However, the government insists that Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah will reply to the debate on the Manipur issue. Amit Shah tweeted his letter to the Opposition and the caption read, "The government is ready to discuss the issue of Manipur and seeks cooperation from all the parties, rising above party lines. I hope that all the parties will cooperate in resolving this important issue.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh slammed the Opposition, saying, The alliance "changed its name in an attempt to shed its checkered past. Renaming itself as INDIA won't expunge their previous action from the collective public consciousness."
The Modi government, which has the support of 332 lawmakers in Lok Sabha, has nothing to fear about the numbers test in the no-confidence motion. However, the INDIA alliance believe that it will win the battle of perception during the debate on Manipur violence.
CPI MP Binoy Viswam addressed the media, saying, "This no-confidence motion is a political move with a political purpose, a political move which will bring results… The no-confidence motion will compel him (PM Modi) to come to the Parliament. We need a discussion on the issues of the country, especially on Manipur, inside the Parliament. Forget the numbers, they know the numbers and we know the numbers..."
"The overall Parliamentary strategy is in place for the INDIA parties. Tactics to execute that strategy evolve every day. Rule 198 of the Lok Sabha states the procedure of moving a no-confidence motion. Picture abhi baki hai!" Trinamool Congress’s Derek O'Brien said in Rajya Sabha.
