No-confidence motion: PM calls for constructive, disruption-free debate

Hours before the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government will face a no-confidence motion moved by former ally the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged fellow MPs to "rise to the occasion and ensure a constructive, comprehensive and disruption-free debate".

Terming the day 'important' Prime Minister Modi took to his twitter handle and said, "Today is an important day in our Parliamentary democracy. I'm sure my fellow MP colleagues will rise to the occasion and ensure constructive, comprehensive and disruption-free debate. We owe this to the people and the makers of our Constitution. India will be watching us closely".

Meanwhile, taking a dig at Congress President Rahul Gandhi, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav tweeted, "Congress would have 38 minutes for an earthquake in the House."

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Giriraj Singh also took potshots at Gandhi, referring to his 2016 claim that there would be an earthquake if he gets a chance to speak in Parliament.

Singh took to Twitter saying, "embrace yourself to experience an earthquake".

Amid all this, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said that people of the nation are waiting to vote for change in 2019.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal took to social media saying that "there was no confidence in the government, in the Rupee at an all-time low of 69.05. He further stated that people are waiting to vote for change in 2019," Sibal tweeted.

On the first day of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan accepted the TDP's no-confidence motion against the Centre over the Andhra Pradesh special status row.

The Narendra Modi-led Government will be facing its first no-confidence motion, four years after winning the 2014 mandate as the first single-party majority in three decades.

The NDA last faced the no-confidence motion under the leadership of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003. The Vajpayee-led Government had defeated the motion with an overwhelming majority.

To defeat the no-confidence motion, the BJP would require to gain a mark of 268 votes. The NDA at present counts 312 members in the 535-member Lok Sabha, including 274 of the BJP.