After a tumultuous Tuesday that witnessed a 16-hour debate in the Lok Sabha, day 2 of the no-confidence motion debate will likely be equally aggressive. The Opposition parties are reportedly gearing up to launch an all-out attack on the government on issues ranging from Manipur and inflation.
However, the spotlight is on whether or not Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will speak at the debate on Wednesday after choosing to withdraw as the lead speaker on Tuesday. As per party sources, Rahul is attending a public meeting at Banwar in Rajasthan, kicking off the party's election campaign in the state.
The BJP had taken potshots at Rahul on Tuesday after his name was withdrawn as the lead speaker at the last minute. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi wondered what prompted the party to change its speaker as BJP member Nishikant Dubey took a dig at the Gandhi scion, stating Rahul opted out since he "probably he woke up late".
As for the government, top ministers including Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani and Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, are likely to intervene in the debate on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Congress Lok Sabha MPs will convene for a meeting at the CPP office at 10:30 am to devise their floor plan. The Opposition INDIA bloc leaders too are gathering in the chamber of the Leader of Opposition.
Day one of the motion debate had witnessed both treasury and opposition benches rallying against each other over a range of issues.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday, who initiated the debate on the motion in the Lok Sabha, had alleged that the government which talks about "one India" has created "two Manipurs -- one living in hills and the other in the valley".
The BJP also targeted the Congress and Opposition parties for bringing in the no-confidence motion. MP Nishikant Dubey, who initiated the discussion from the BJP side, accused the party of being against the poor as Prime Minister Modi was working for the poor.
He alleged that the opposition brought the no-confidence motion against his government to test the confidence of its alliance members in each other.