Stage set for debate on no-confidence motion against Modi govt in Lok Sabha

The stage is all set in Lok Sabha for a clash between the ruling National Democratic Alliance and the Opposition, as it would debate the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi-led government, moved by former ally - the Telegu Desam Party (TDP).

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.

The Modi-led government also showed promptness to hold the debate on Friday - two days into the commencement of the Monsoon Session.

The Prime Minister had earlier said that the Centre is ready to discuss all the issues that all the parties would raise in the Parliament.

"I hope the Monsoon Session is a productive one and the time is properly utilised to discuss important matters. May the productivity of the forthcoming session and the rich levels of debate also become a source of inspiration for the various state assemblies. Any member, any party can raise any issue, we are all ready for proper discussions," Prime Minister Modi had said.

As the Opposition gears up for the clash, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday announced that all the opposition parties have come to a consensus to move the vote of the no-confidence motion in the Monsoon Session.

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.

During the last Budget Session, the Parliament secretariat had received three notices on a no-confidence motion against the Centre for its refusal to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh.